Massive Garage Fire at Jacksonville Airport Damages 50 Vehicles, Reopening Scheduled for 5 PM -

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17 May, Florida

A fire at Jacksonville International Airport’s hourly garage damaged around 50 vehicles early Saturday morning.

A massive blaze erupted inside an hourly parking garage at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) early Saturday, destroying about 50 cars and forcing the airport to shut down on Saturday.

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Authorities say no one was injured, but emphasized that the incident severely disrupted passengers. Investigators followed up with concerns regarding the safety of the airport infrastructure at the complex.

Around 4:00 a.m., the fire erupted on the ground floor of the airport’s hourly parking garage. The dense, dark smoke was visible for miles, and first responders rushed to put out the rapid fire.

Airport authorities immediately cleared the area and later instructed all arriving and departing flights to ground operations as a precautionary action.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) responded rapidly, deploying more than a dozen units to put out the fire. The fire was contained by mid-morning, although it had caused substantial damage.

Firefighters reported that almost 50 cars had extensive damage either completely burned or partly burned as a result of radiant heat. Garage structures are still being evaluated for integrity and safety of future use.

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) expressed gratitude to the media for coming out to the 10 a.m. press briefing meeting, where authority spokesperson Kelly Taylor declared, “We are very grateful there are no reported injuries.

” Taylor added, “Our teams were timely in evacuating the area and worked with emergency responders. We are reaching out to car owners who were affected and helping them with insurance and transportation.”

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Airport authorities said JAX will resume full operations after a safety inspection and cleaning, which is expected to finish at 5:00 p.m. today.

While the airport left the balance of the airport and terminals in place, flights scheduled before 5:00 a.m. and after post-2:00 p.m. were affected as well, accounting for hundreds of canceled and delayed flights.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and other law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are investigating the cause of the fire.

While arson has not been ruled out, the initial investigation shows that the fire likely started with one vehicle and spread quickly due to the proximity of other vehicles and the garage being enclosed.

Travelers are strongly encouraged to confirm the updated flight information with their airlines and take into account additional time for security screening and parking because of potential delays and rerouted traffic.

There is a temporary parking plan in place until the hourly garage can be fully inspected and deemed safe for travel.

JAX officials reiterated their prioritization of passenger safety as the investigation is ongoing, and more fire prevention measures will be examined in the next few days.

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