Chaos erupted at Gatwick Airport this morning after holidaymakers were evacuated when a fire alarm went off.
Several holidaymakers took to social media to question what was happening, as many of them said they had been left in the dark. According to the passengers, the commotion took place after the alarm went off in the South terminal. They explained that there was a "huge evacuation" and described the process as "awful".
Pictures shared online showed "crazy" queues starting to form from inside the airport as people tried to leave. A large crowd was spotted outside of the venue as holidaymakers waited for information. Travelers said they were given "no direction" as they were being made to the leave the site. Gatwick Airport has since confirmed that a fire alarm was activiated but there was no fire. Passengers were eventually allowed to return to the departure lounge.
Passengers were left outside the airport this morning (@eotphonehome/Twitter)
Passengers reported 'crazy' lines following the incidentConfused travelers said staff told them there will be no flights departing following the incident. Passenger Kevin Edger shared a video of dozens of people as they were told to leave the airport "immediately". In the video, the words "attention, attention" could be heard playing from a speaker in the background.
One shocked passenger said: "Fire alarm at Gatwick South terminal. Evacuated all passengers from Airside, no staff know what’s going on. No coordination from anyone at the airport. Fun day." Another said: "More chaos at @Gatwick_Airport following fire alarm activation, and pre-security queues building. Guess I'll be missing my flight then...." A third person commented: "A fire alarm at @Gatwick_Airport and staff are as clueless as guests as to the procedures on how to safely exit. No fire Marshalls, signage pointing the wrong way. Eventually found a way out. Awful."
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Another complained: "Fire alarm at Gatwick airport. Sounds like everyone past security has been evacuated onto tarmac, crazy lines." Others said their breakfast was disrupted and have questioned whether they will seek a refund. Someone else said: "London Gatwick's South Terminal has been vacated, causing a bit of a ruckus for travelers trying to depart. What a way to start a vacation."
People were advised to confirm their flight status ahead of time. Travel agency, Clarity, warned holidaymakers on Twitter and issued a travel alert. They wrote: "Clarity have become aware that evacuations are ongoing at London Gatwick airport today due to a fire alarm. As a result, the airport is being evacuated and flight disruptions are expected."
They added: "Disruption may continue for several hours after passengers are allowed to return to terminals. Clarity advises travellers flying to from or through London Gatwick Airport to confirm their flight status in advance of departure and allow additional time for processing through the airport."
Passengers have slammed the airport and said that if there was an actual incident it would have turned into a "disaster" due to a lack of information given to customers. One holidaymaker recalled that the alarm sparked a frenzy from inside the airport. He said: "Was all very sudden and chaotic for a while. People running around everywhere and very confused. Never experienced a big evacuation at Gatwick Airport before, don’t want to again."
Another added: "When the alarm sounded telling us to 'evacuate immediately' there were no obvious fire exits/signs, no staff to direct us, and total confusion. Had there been an actual fire it would have been a disaster. The only staff offering any direction was a young @WHSmith employee. Poor." Meanwhile, passenger Scott Blenkhorn said his flight was "slightly delayed" but said he was "really happy to be safe".
A London Gatwick spokesperson told The Mirror: “London Gatwick’s South Terminal Departure Lounge was evacuated for a short time this morning due to a fire alarm activation. Our dedicated Airport Fire Service swiftly attended and confirmed there was no fire. Passengers are being allowed back into the Departure Lounge. Safety and security are our top priority and we resolved the situation as quickly as possible."
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