Woman suspected of starting fire in Otopeni airport corridor, no other victims

The fire

In the early hours of Thursday, 29 October 2026, a fire broke out in one of the toilets on the corridor linking the Arrivals and Departures terminals at Henri Coandă airport in Otopeni. Police said the blaze was apparently set on purpose. The Air Transport Police Service was alerted at around 01:15, and officers who reached the spot saw smoke rising from the area. In its statement, IGPR described the notification its officers received.

“Police were notified that a fire had allegedly broken out in the corridor linking the Arrivals and Departures terminals.”

Airport firefighters from the civil fire and rescue service put the fire out.

The suspect

A woman, a Romanian citizen, was found near the fire and is suspected of causing it. According to first checks, she had set fire to several sheets of paper in rubbish bins. Airport medical staff gave her first care at the scene, after which she was taken under escort to several hospitals for specialist evaluations and remained admitted. Police say she has several prior admissions to psychiatric hospitals. Once the medical evaluations are finished, she is to be taken to police for hearings, and the legal measures will be decided at that point.

Investigation and impact

Police opened a criminal case for destruction and bodily harm, and investigators will establish all the circumstances of the incident. No other victims were recorded, and no further material damage was reported. Police also said air traffic at the airport was not affected by the fire. The sequence of the night is set out in the timeline above, with the call to police at 01:15 as the first recorded step.