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Investigators have found serious fire hazards in the new Southwest Airlines terminal at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, Newsday has learned.
The hazards are so significant that they could cause an explosion or allow dangerous natural gas to be drawn into the terminal, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.
Spota said he thought immediate action should be taken to address the hazards. Town and airline officials would not respond last night as to the status of the building.
Investigators from the district attorney's governmental corruption bureau, which has been looking into expansion projects at the airport, conducted an inspection of the terminal Monday night along with a fire-safety expert, whom they would not identify. Town officials accompanied them.
"We have been conducting an active investigation into the fire- safety issues in the building," Spota said. "We have uncovered significant problems and notified the town."
Islip Town Attorney Pierce Cohalan said last night the town was aware of problems in the terminal. In a statement, he...