JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Officials said about 50 cars were damaged after a fire broke out in the hourly garage at the Jacksonville International Airport on Friday afternoon. The airport is expected to reopen at 5 p.m.
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In a press conference, Mayor Donna Deegan said there were about 50 cars that were damaged from the fire that was still burning, but under control. Deegan also said the fire started on the second floor with one car and spread to other cars.
Watch the full press conference below.
“They’ve sent in a drone and so far, it looks like we’re in good shape. We can’t know for 100% sure until we can actually get in there and inspect this car,” Deegan said.
She also said the airport will reopen at 5 p.m. and the hourly and daily garages will remain closed.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, all streets around the airport were opened just after 6 p.m.
The Hourly Garage is still closed, but other parking facilities (Daily Garage, Daily Surface Lot and Economy Lots) are accessible. Airport shuttle buses will take them to their vehicles. The pick-up location is the pre-arranged/premier parking lot on the lower level of Baggage…
— JAXairport (@JAXairport) May 16, 2025
JFRD Fire Chief Keith Powers said they got a call just after 12 about smoke.
“Our firefighters went in and started getting those folks that were in the garage out of there and begin to actively fight the fire,” Powers said. “We have to be able to get inside of the vehicles, under the hood, inside the compartment space, to fully extinguish it.”
He said there was a partial collapse on the second and third floors, then a secondary collapse about 30 minutes later.
“We’re not putting firefighters in there. We’re using drones to look for anybody that could be in there...but we won’t know until we can get in there and physically verify...this is going to be a long, long process, obviously similar to what we dealt with at the St. Vincent’s parking garage,” Powers said.
He said the cars in both garages will not be accessible for a while.
Powers also said that they have video of the fire starting, but could not confirm what type of vehicle ignited the fire.
Dark smoke could be seen billowing into the air. A viewer sent in footage of the fire.
Michael Stewart of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority said to check with your airline because they’re doing the rescheduling of flights and delays.
“We suggest that travelers coming to the airport that are catching flights either use Uber or Lyft or some of the off-airport parking options that are available,” Stewart said.
Powers said JFRD sent in seven engines, three crash trucks, five ladders, four rescues, three squads and three tankers.
RELATED: Could hourly garage fire delay plans for new 2,000-space, $92 million parking garage at JAX?
According to FlightAware, at least two dozen flights were delayed.
Councilman Reggie Gaffney Jr. said JFRD urged him to keep all his constituents out of the area.
Gaffney Jr. also released a statement that reads in part:
“I am closely monitoring the situation at Jacksonville International Airport, where a fire has broken out in the Hourly Garage. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. The safety of our residents, travelers, and first responders is our top priority. I commend the swift action of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in responding to this incident,” Gaffney said.
City Council President also issued a statement that reads in part:
“My office is in communication with airport authorities and emergency management, and we will continue to offer support as needed. I encourage the public to follow official airport and City updates for the most accurate and timely information,” White said.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office could be seen directing traffic as they blocked inbound and outbound road access.
A woman said she was waiting to pick up her parents from the airport.
“We learned that there were three cars in the parking garage had caught on fire and they had shut the terminal down so no one can go in or out,” she said.
Another woman said she was waiting to board her flight when the fire broke out. She and her Uber driver was trying to navigate the road closures.
“My Uber driver was very nice, but we couldn’t make head of what was going on. We just got directed to go in a circle, he’s checking his GPS and all this sort of stuff and finally, we landed up in the cell phone lot,” the woman said.
JSO was seen giving out water to people waiting in the shade as the roads are blocked off.
City buses were also sent to the airport for people to cool off in.
Aviation expert Ed Booth said it’s rare for the airport to close down for something other than a weather event.
“The reason the airport is closed is all the fire equipment is being used for the parking garage situation. There’s no equipment available to protect the planes and so under FAA regulations, the aircraft cannot land under those circumstances,” Booth said.
Andres Lopera, a structural engineer with Oracle Engineering in Jacksonville, talked about what to expect from the fire investigation.
“[They] need to estimate how hot the fire was burning and how long it was burning for and that’ll give us an indication as to how bad [they] expect the damage. Because what [they’re] worried about is the concrete cracking due to high temperature and a long time of exposure,” Lopera said.
News4JAX has crews at the scene to find out more.
