This morning, a fire alarm at Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal caused significant confusion and led to a complete evacuation, with passengers voicing their frustrations over the lack of organization and clear communication.
The sudden evacuation was initiated when the fire alarm went off, prompting passengers to share their bewildering experiences on social media. The scene was described as chaotic, with minimal direction from airport staff on how to safely evacuate the facility.
Ellie, a passenger caught in the turmoil, took to Twitter to seek answers: “@Gatwick_Airport fire alarm sounded and the whole terminal evacuated! Any idea what’s going on?” Similarly, another traveler, Adam, commented on the disorganized situation, stating, “Everyone at Gatwick South being sent back through departures. Staff saying all flights not departing.” He further detailed the evacuation, noting the apparent disarray: “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.”
Ryan, another passenger, expressed his dismay at the evacuation procedures: “Incredible. A fire alarm at @Gatwick_Airport and staff are as clueless as guests as to the procedures on how to safely exit. No fire marshals, and signage pointing the wrong way. Eventually found a way out. Awful.”
Gatwick Airport responded to the incident via social media, stating, “Our South Terminal Departure Lounge was evacuated this morning following a fire alarm activation. Our dedicated Airport Fire Service attended and confirmed there was no fire. The Departure Lounge is now open again and we are processing remaining passengers back through security as quickly as we can. Huge thanks to everyone cooperating this morning, and to the Fire Service for their swift attendance.”
The terminal has since reopened, and operations are returning to normal as the airport works to reprocess passengers through security.
