Doug Delony, a producer at the Houston, Texas Fox affiliate reports:
A small explosion occurred in a piece of luggage at Bush Intercontinental Airport, according to officials. No injuries were reported.Smoke was seen coming from the luggage shortly after it was unloaded off a jet around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Houston Airport System. The jet had just landed at the airport from Amsterdam.
Ground crews said they noticed something strange about a blue suitcase and were working to remove it when they heard a “pop” and smoke came pouring from it, according to an airport spokeswoman.
While no injuries were reported, several agencies, including the Houston Fire Department, were called to the scene.
Aerial views from SkyFox showed a couple dozen officers and emergency responders at the scene. The blue suitcase was sitting on the tarmac several yards from officers and the airplane.
The flight number and airline on which the luggage was carried was not immediately confirmed, and no further information was available.
There were no reports of any damage due to the explosion.
Update: Michelle Malkin writes, “NBC News reporting that it may have been an aerosol can that burst.”
Live video feed currently online at Fox News shows plenty of cops, an ambulance, service equipment, and what appears to be the luggage in question on the tarmac near a KLM Boeing 747 at the terminal, or similar-sized plane, but as of yet, there’s no voiceover from a newscaster.
Update: No explosion? The Houston Chronicle is currently reporting:
Authorities have given the “all clear” after investigating this afternooon a suspicious piece of luggage coming off an international flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Despite initial reports of an explosion, one did not occur, said Houston Airport System spokeswoman Marlene McClinton.
Authorities had initially received a small aircraft emergency call around 2:15 p.m. for a bag on the tarmac near terminal D of the airport. An employee reported a small explosion and saw a mist expel from the bag, McClinton said. A hazardous materials team was dispatched to examine the bag, where crews determined it was not a danger.
The substance was most likely a personal care item, such as deodorant, that broke when it impacted with the ground, McClinton said.
“It was not an explosion,” McClinton said. “When they were unloading the bag, they heard a pop when it landed on the ground … but it was a non event.”
That must have been a rather emphatic “pop” if it could be heard on the tarmac, over the roar of jet engines, by luggage crews presumably wearing ear protection.
Update: Doug Delony updates his earlier report, which appears to contradict the article from the Houston Chronicle quoted above:
According to the Houston Airport System, it was around 2:15 p.m. Tuesday when a “pop” was heard and smoke could be seen coming from a suitcase. Crews had already offloaded the luggage and placed it on the tarmac when the smoke was seen.
While no injuries or damages were reported, several agencies, including the Houston Fire Department, were called to the scene.
Shortly before 4 p.m., police rigged the blue-silver luggage and detonated it on the tarmac, scattering what appeared to be clothes on the ground. Officers then combed through the contents of the bag, but it was not immediately clear if they determined a cause for the earlier smoke.
The flight number and airline on which the luggage was carried were not confirmed, and no further information was available from airport officials.
The airport system said the incident did not affect any other flights.
More as it comes in.
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