A single car fire erupted into a massive parking garage fire that led to a shutdown at a Florida airport on Friday. As smoke billowed across the city, flights were canceled, connections disrupted, and travelers flying in and out of Jacksonville International Airport were stranded as fire authorities fought the afternoon blaze.
The midday fire occurred on the third level of the hourly parking garage. An estimated 50 vehicles were damaged, but there are currently no reports of injuries related to the blaze, said Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan during a press conference. She added that neither the hourly nor the daily parking garage would be accessible for the rest of the day to provide a clear path for responders.
Because of the unsafe conditions, the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department utilized drones to determine whether anyone remained in the garage after firefighters completed an initial evacuation sweep. Fire Chief Keith Powers said clean-up and damage assessment would “take time” due to the structural collapses that occurred on the third and second floors of the garage. If your car is in there, sorry, but the garage will be off limits until engineers give the OK.
Fire Chief Powers confirmed that an airport video shows the fire started with one vehicle, but not much else. “We don’t know any details about that vehicle, what kind of vehicle it was,” he said. “Whether it was an electric vehicle, a gas-powered vehicle, or what. We don’t know that from the video. We can just see the vehicle that started it.” No cause was provided, either.
The active fire created chaos not just at the terminal but surrounding areas. WJXT reported that those driving to the airport had to deal with unexpected road closures and increased traffic. “My Uber driver was very nice, but we couldn’t make head of what was going on,” a woman told the news outlet. “We just got directed to go in a circle.”
For those waiting outside due to the airport shutdown, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office provided water while city buses were sent as temporary cooling stations. AccuWeather reported a high of 97 degrees Fahrenheit in Jacksonville that day.
The airport resumed operations around 5 p.m. that day, but the affected and adjacent garage areas remain closed. According to Jacksonville Today, the hourly garage is next door to a new parking garage currently under construction. Mayor Deegan said construction would not be affected, “but for the short term, we are down a few thousand parking spots.”
Airport authorities are encouraging alternate commutes such as rideshare, carpooling, and at-terminal drop-off and pick-up due to the limited on-site parking. A temporary car rental return area was created, and a list of damaged vehicles is in the works, but that can take several days.
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