JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly two weeks after a devastating fire broke out inside the hourly parking garage at the Jacksonville International Airport, local authorities say there are still some vehicles in the garage that have not been claimed.
About 50 cars were damaged in the blaze, with hundreds of others left trapped in the garage until it could be deemed safe to enter.
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Since May 16, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority has tried to contact the owners of all the vehicles that are in accessible areas of the garage.
But they said some vehicles have still not been claimed by their owners.
JAA said that there are a number of vehicles remaining for which they don’t have contact information for the owner.
JAA said that if you believe your car is in the hourly garage, and you have not been contacted directly by airport personnel, you’re asked to call the Call Center at 904-741-2710 with your vehicle information.
The Call Center is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Friday. You can also reach JAA via email at jax_airport_event@flyjax.com.
Other vehicles remain trapped in inaccessible areas of the garage because of the ongoing federal investigation.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the leading investigative agency, said on Friday it is still working on determining the cause and origin of the fire. However, a JAA police report obtained by News4JAX last week gave some insight into what happened before the fire.
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No one was injured in the blaze. But, according to the JAA report, JFRD firefighters treated “unknown” passengers for smoke inhalation. The report does not state how many people were treated.
The fire partially collapsed part of the parking structure, forcing officials to close it indefinitely after it was deemed unsafe.
Timeline
Last Monday, the JAA board officially dispelled the rumor that the fire had been started by a Tesla, but added that it was exploring the possibility that a hybrid car “may have been involved.”
While the cause of the fire has not been revealed, the JAA police report included a timeline of the moments leading to the fire, which was put together based on security footage.
8:07 a.m.: Mid-size BMW dark in color, enters hourly garage through upper level access
8:09 a.m.: Woman parks and exits vehicle, walking toward departures
12:03 p.m.: Smoke observed coming from beneath the front of the vehicle
12:04 p.m.: Vehicle fully engulfed in fire. Due to the thick smoke, the video did not show how the fire spread after that.
12:06 p.m.: The Airport Operations Control Center received a forwarded dispatch from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office about a car on fire in the hourly garage.
Car pickup
The garage’s closure impacted about 1,200 cars that were parked in the structure at the time of the fire. Those affected were asked to fill out an online form to receive updates regarding their vehicles.
A call center began operating last week to help people retrieve their cars, starting with those who were parked in the designated “safe area” of the structure.
About 10 JAX volunteers and employees began calling people early Tuesday to notify them that their car would be available for pickup starting at 5 p.m.
On Thursday, JAA said vehicles that were still in the damaged area of the hourly garage were being towed to where their owners could retrieve them.
On Friday afternoon, JAA told News4JAX that approximately 231 cars parked in the affected area had been relocated to the airport’s reunification area, which will be open 24 hours a day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Officials also said approximately 120 cars were within the footprint of the investigation area.
