NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — During a busy travel day, passengers were evacuated from Nashville International Airport, due to an unpleasant odor in the air.
Bad weather, maintenance, or crew problems are usually the reasons behind flight delays and cancellations
But on Sunday, many passengers at BNA experienced interruptions, because there was something in the air.
According to a statement on Twitter, the airport sad the evacuations started at 2:42 PM at Concourse C.
📣 Important update from BNA (modified) pic.twitter.com/Rsj4zGzXfl
— Fly Nashville (@Fly_Nashville) April 17, 2023
Those inside the terminal, tell NewsChannel 5, it all happened so quickly and with very little explanation.
"With the school shooting recently happening and a lot of stuff going on in the world, to hear an evacuation and see a lot of people move as quickly as they did in the airport like that it can be kind of scary," Jolley Joe, said.
Hours later, the airport confirmed the Metro Nashville Fire Department performed an air quality test, due to the presence of a noxious odor. No air contaminants were found and Concourse C reopened. It's been determined the chemical in the air was butoxyethyl acetat, comonly used in laquers and resins.
A spokesperson for Nashville Fire, said no injuries have been reported.
Matthew Wayne was performing on stage at Ole Red when he saw people get up and leave.
"I just started seeing mass exodus, kind of, everyone filing out," he said.
He quickly packed up too and said despite the sudden notice, people calmly exited.
"I can appreciate the first responders and the people as we were walking out, there were officers and firefighters going in with gas masks on," he said.
Travelers are still encouraged to check directly with airlines for updates their flights before heading to the airport.
