On Wednesday morning, a fire broke out on an escalator at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, causing a large number of passengers to be evacuated. Nine people sustained minor injuries, and several hundred flights were canceled or delayed.
Around 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday morning, smoke and flames suddenly appeared on an escalator in the main hall of Terminal 8 at Kennedy Airport, leading to the spread of smoke inside the terminal.
New York City Fire Department (FDNY) reported that someone called 911 to report the fire incident. The airport authorities then evacuated the personnel inside Terminal 8, with nine people sustaining minor injuries from inhaling smoke. Four of them were taken to the hospital for examination.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said that around 960 passengers were transported to other areas of the airport using buses.
Kennedy Airport posted on social media, urging passengers to check with their airlines for flight status updates.
The post stated: “Flights at Terminal 8 have been affected. Please check with your airline to determine the status of your flight.”
Terminal 8 is occupied by American Airlines. As of around 10:30 a.m., 69 flights have been canceled and 376 flights delayed, accounting for 10% of the total scheduled flights for the airline for that day.
Officials from the New York City Fire Department stated that operations at Kennedy Airport have now been restored.
The exact cause of the fire is currently under investigation.