Thousands disrupted by airport fire evacuations

A fire at Auckland Airport yesterday led to the evacuation of the international check-in area and arrivals baggage hall. The fire began in an air-conditioning vent and was extinguished by the sprinkler system. Thousands of passengers were affected, and some were unhappy at the airport’s response. One said she had been stuck in Customs for four hours with an alarm that sounded every 10 seconds.