A report of smoke triggered a 30-minute evacuation of Denver International Airport’s office building Wednesday, resulting in a temporary shutdown of the automated trains that run between the airport’s concourses.
The evacuation, which occurred just before 3:30 p.m., included the staff members who operate and monitor the trains, said Heath Montgomery, an airport spokesman. After an investigation by fire department responders, the evacuation was lifted and officials returned to the building.
“It was basically a safety precaution” to stop the trains, he said, adding that train passengers were evacuated.
The smoke was reported on the 10th floor of the airport office building, where the operations center — including the train management operations — is based, he said.
At 4 p.m., as officials worked to bring the trains online, DIA officials said it would bus passengers between the airport’s three concourses.
Train service was restored by 4:15 p.m.
The afternoon evacuation and stoppage contributed an already disruptive day at DIA. Earlier Wednesday, that resulted in a two-hour grounding of flights across the country.
Alicia Wallace: 303-954-1939, awallace@denverpost.com or twitter.com/aliciawallace
