QUEENS — A fire in an X-Ray machine at LaGuardia Airport on Sunday injured three Port Authority police officers and prompted the terminal to be evacuated, according to a PA spokesman.
Shortly before 5 p.m. an electrical fire broke out on the underside of a TSA bag screening machine outside of Terminal C, which houses Delta Airlines, spokesman Steve Coleman said.
Although the fire was under control within minutes, the terminal needed to be evacuated because of smoke. The fire injured three PA cops who were dispatched to the scene, but they were not seriously injured.
"The fire was quickly extinguished, but it caused a smoke condition in the terminal," Coleman said. "Three of our police officers suffered from smoke inhalation and were checked out at New York Hospital."
There was no concern about radiation, he added.
Coleman said passengers were allowed back into the terminal at 5:50 p.m., and the rescreening process began at 6:18 p.m.
According to a Delta spokesman, the fire delayed five flights.
The fire marks the third evacuation from a tristate airport over the weekend.
On Saturday, an unplugged metal detector at a JFK terminal led to an evacuation and hours of delays, according to published reports.
And a fire that broke out at the Atlantic City International airport on Friday resulted in the evacuation of 1,600 people, USA Today reported.
