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2 Hurt As Explosion Cuts Power To Parts Of O'Hare Airport
July 12, 2004: 17:04 p.m. EST

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CHICAGO (AP)--An electrical explosion at O'Hare International Airport Monday afternoon knocked out power to two terminals, delaying some flights and injuring two workers who had been upgrading the airport's electrical system, city officials said.

The explosion happened around noon when a subcontractor performing maintenance on part of the airport's electrical system inadvertently separated some wires, Roberson said. Two workers were taken to a hospital with first- and second- degree burns.

Chicago Aviation Commissioner John Roberson said the outage did not affect the air traffic control towers but some flights were delayed because electricity was cut to many security checkpoints, forcing security personnel to manually screen passengers and baggage.

Transportation Security Administration screeners were using explosive-sniffing dogs to check luggage at security checkpoints where explosive-scanning machines were out.

"Security was never compromised in any way during this time," Roberson said. He said he didn't know how many flights were delayed.

ComEd spokeswoman Meg Amato said the electricity provider sent emergency crews to help O'Hare assess the damage and restore power to the airport.

Backup generators restored some power, but Roberson said it likely would take about five hours to get power fully restored.

American Airlines (AMR) and U.S. Airways (UAIR) were the carriers most affected. The outage affected parts of two terminals, including escalators, elevators and ventilation.