(AGI) Rome, May 7 - Rome's Fiumicino airport was filled withsmoke and flames when a fire broke out in Terminal 3 just aftermidnight on Wednesday. No casualties have been reported, as theairport was almost empty at that time. Staff were promptlyevacuated and the fire brigade stepped in, working severalhours to extinguish the fire, whereafter they made securitychecks, seeking 'hidden' flames. There is still no officialreport on what might have caused the outbreak. At least 700square metres have been affected, from the metal detector zoneto the shopping mall, including several technical areas withnumerous electric cables. Once the situation was under control,Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) announced that Leonardo Da Vinciairport was gradually being opened to air traffic. Among thefirst planes to take off there was a Delta plane destined forDetroit and an Iberia flight to Madrid. ADR deployed a taskforce of 400 for passenger assistance, security and patrolservices, as well as work to restore Terminal 3 operations.Alitalia restarted with an Amsterdam flight, and two teams ofstaff from various positions and offices worked to helppassengers arriving and in transit. Passengers have the rightto places on other Alitalia flights, as long as tickets arechanged by May 10; they are entitled to a total refund shouldflights be cancelled. All Alitalia's check-in operations havebeen shifted to Terminal 1. The Civitavecchia Prosecutor'soffice, in charge of the Fiumicino area, is working on theincident; prosecutor Gianfranco Amendola is awaiting the firstpolice report. (AGI). .