Bush Intercontinental's Terminal C North Is Fully Back After Tuesday's Restaurant Fire
The concourse that a kitchen fire at Ember shut down on Tuesday afternoon reopened Thursday with all gates and concessions back, Houston Airports announced — just in time for the Halloween weekend travel rush, though the fire's official cause is still undetermined.
Terminal C North at George Bush Intercontinental Airport is fully back in service. Houston Airports announced Thursday, October 29, that the concourse had completely reopened, with all gates and concessions back in operation by Thursday afternoon, after a restaurant fire shut it for the better part of two days.
The fire broke out at about 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, October 27, at Ember, a restaurant inside the concourse, and Houston Fire Department crews had it extinguished by about 5:20 p.m. No passengers, staff or firefighters were injured. United Airlines, which runs its Houston hub operation from Terminal C, described the blaze as a kitchen grease fire; the official cause has not been confirmed, and the HFD Arson Bureau is investigating the origin — a routine assignment for fire-cause determination, not an indication of foul play.
The concourse stayed closed overnight Tuesday into Wednesday for precaution and cleanup, while Terminal C South and every other terminal at IAH remained open. Some United departures scheduled from C North gates on Wednesday were moved to other gates while the cleanup ran.
With the concourse restored, the airport's advice for the Halloween weekend is the practical kind: schedules were shuffled during the two-day disruption, so travelers should confirm their terminal and gate before leaving for the airport.
