Jacksonville International Airport was shut down Friday afternoon after a multi-vehicle fire broke out inside one of its parking garages, grounding all flights and closing access roads.
The fire was reported around 12:30 p.m. in the airport’s Hourly Garage. According to airport staff, several vehicles caught fire on the third level. At the time, the garage was 95% full.
Video taken at the scene shows multiple cars fully engulfed and thick black smoke pouring out from the concrete structure.
Travelers took to social media to vent their aggravation, with one woman drawing a response from Mayor Donna Deegan’s Facebook page.
“Mayor, please let the departing flights take off!!!!!,” the woman wrote. “My flight can’t leave nor can I get my car and drive home.”
The mayor’s account did not give a timetable for a resumption of operations.
“Sorry for the inconvenience,” she wrote. “We will continue to follow the lead of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and JFRD as to when it is safe to resume flights in and out of the airport.”
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded quickly to the scene and remained on-site Friday afternoon assessing the damage and investigating the cause.
Entry and exit roads to the airport were temporarily closed as crews worked to contain the blaze.
While the hourly lot remained closed as of Friday afternoon, airport officials said other parking areas remained open.
“The daily garage, surface lot, and economy lots—are still open,” they wrote on Facebook. “Shuttle buses are transporting passengers to and from those lots, with pick-up at the pre-arranged/premier parking area on the lower level of baggage claim.”
There were no reported injuries.
