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BREAKING! Massive fire engulfs international airport in Nairobi, Kenya, totally guts immigration area
No reports yet as to a suspected cause but they are not ruling out terrorism.
A “massive” fire has broken out at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International airport, forcing one of East Africa’s largest transport hubs to shut down, officials say. The fire at east Africa’s busiest airport started at around 5:00am local time (02:00 GMT) in the immigration section of the departure lounge and spread to the international arrivals area, a Kenya Civil Aviation Authority official said on condition of anonymity.
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Nairobi airport closes as fire crews tackle blaze
The BBC's Emmanuel Igunza reports from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Continue reading the main story
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A huge fire has ravaged the main international airport in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) - a key regional hub - has been closed, passengers evacuated and incoming flights diverted.
The fire is now said to have been contained but there has been criticism of the time it took emergency services to respond.
Images from the scene showed flames leaping from one of the main buildings.
There have been no reports of any casualties and the cause of the fire is not clear.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the regional hub for East Africa, with many long-distance flights landing there to connect to countries across the region.
The airport is the main gateway for European tourists and is also crucial for the country's key flower export industry, so the fire could have a huge economic impact, says the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza at the scene.
James Ole Lenku: "We will make sure that we establish the true cause of the fire. As of now we don't know what's happened"
Shares in Kenya Airways fell in early trading on Wednesday.
'Water shortage'
The cabinet secretary for transport, Michael Kamau, said the fire was "very severe" and urged people to stay away from the area.
Dark smoke could be seen billowing into the sky across much of Nairobi as the fire - which began at approximately 04:30 local time (01:30 GMT) - took hold.
The first fire engines arrived as late as 07:00, our correspondent says - by which time the blaze was ravaging the arrivals hall.
Kenya's police and fire units are poorly resourced and the state response was supplemented by the Red Cross and private security firms including - airport authorities said - the British multinational company G4S.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
There was no emergency direction on leaving - I just stood there watching the fire. There were no officials to tell anyone what to do”
Emily Mosites
US student at Jomo Kenyatta airport
Some witnesses also said traffic jams had prevented emergency vehicles getting through.
Shocked would-be passengers stood outside the airport, bags in hand, watching the blaze.
Nairobi resident Barry Fisher - who had hoped to travel to Ethiopia on Wednesday - described the scene as chaotic.
"There was no one stopping any traffic going to the road to the airport," he told AP news agency.
"A number of fire trucks and ambulances were trying to negotiate their way through the lane... They were trying to weave their way through a solid two lanes of cars."
American student Emily Mosites was in the airport trying to get a flight to Kisumu when the fire broke out.
"There was no emergency direction on leaving - I just stood there watching the fire. There were no officials to tell anyone what to do.
"I wasn't told whether or not there were any flights departing. So I thought this was insane and decided to leave."
The government also admitted that firefighters had run "dangerously low on water" and water tankers had had to be sent to bolster supplies.
Continue reading the main story
People watch dense black smoke billowing from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, early on Wednesday
The fire is believed to have started in the immigration zone at about 05:00 (02:00 GMT)
Continue reading the main story
1/6
Hours after the blaze began, Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said it had been contained.
Continue reading the main story
Jomo Kenyatta Airport
Busiest airport in east and central Africa, and seventh busiest in Africa
Handles six million passengers a year
Hub for neighbouring countries as well as cities as far away as Lagos, Johannesburg and Cairo - as well as gateway to continent for Europe and Asia
Serves 49 destinations in 23 countries, across five continents
Key export point for Kenya's flower industry, one of the country's top foreign exchange earners
"We have lost the arrival areas and a number of offices have been gutted," he told journalists.
"We have heightened security to make sure people are safe.... We will make sure we establish the true cause of the fire."
Cabinet secretary for transport Michael Kamau earlier said the blaze began in the immigration zone, which he said was deep inside the affected building, making it difficult for firefighters to reach.
He paid tribute to the work of the emergency services.
President Uhuru Kenyatta - whose father the airport was named after - has toured the burning building to see the damage.
Incoming flights have been diverted to regional airports and to Mombasa, where the BBC's Odhiambo Joseph said there were chaotic scenes with hundreds of passengers stranded.
Correspondents say authorities will be keen to get the airport operational as soon as possible - and an airport authority committee is looking at how to do so.
The blaze comes two days after aircraft were delayed for several hours after the failure of a hydrant needed for refuelling planes at the airport
Nairobi airport closes as fire crews tackle blaze
The BBC's Emmanuel Igunza reports from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Continue reading the main story
Related Stories
In pictures: Nairobi airport fire
Fuel shortage strands Kenya athletes
Kenya country profile
A huge fire has ravaged the main international airport in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) - a key regional hub - has been closed, passengers evacuated and incoming flights diverted.
The fire is now said to have been contained but there has been criticism of the time it took emergency services to respond.
Images from the scene showed flames leaping from one of the main buildings.
There have been no reports of any casualties and the cause of the fire is not clear.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the regional hub for East Africa, with many long-distance flights landing there to connect to countries across the region.
The airport is the main gateway for European tourists and is also crucial for the country's key flower export industry, so the fire could have a huge economic impact, says the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza at the scene.
James Ole Lenku: "We will make sure that we establish the true cause of the fire. As of now we don't know what's happened"
Shares in Kenya Airways fell in early trading on Wednesday.
'Water shortage'
The cabinet secretary for transport, Michael Kamau, said the fire was "very severe" and urged people to stay away from the area.
Dark smoke could be seen billowing into the sky across much of Nairobi as the fire - which began at approximately 04:30 local time (01:30 GMT) - took hold.
The first fire engines arrived as late as 07:00, our correspondent says - by which time the blaze was ravaging the arrivals hall.
Kenya's police and fire units are poorly resourced and the state response was supplemented by the Red Cross and private security firms including - airport authorities said - the British multinational company G4S.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
There was no emergency direction on leaving - I just stood there watching the fire. There were no officials to tell anyone what to do”
Emily Mosites
US student at Jomo Kenyatta airport
Some witnesses also said traffic jams had prevented emergency vehicles getting through.
Shocked would-be passengers stood outside the airport, bags in hand, watching the blaze.
Nairobi resident Barry Fisher - who had hoped to travel to Ethiopia on Wednesday - described the scene as chaotic.
"There was no one stopping any traffic going to the road to the airport," he told AP news agency.
"A number of fire trucks and ambulances were trying to negotiate their way through the lane... They were trying to weave their way through a solid two lanes of cars."
American student Emily Mosites was in the airport trying to get a flight to Kisumu when the fire broke out.
"There was no emergency direction on leaving - I just stood there watching the fire. There were no officials to tell anyone what to do.
"I wasn't told whether or not there were any flights departing. So I thought this was insane and decided to leave."
The government also admitted that firefighters had run "dangerously low on water" and water tankers had had to be sent to bolster supplies.
Continue reading the main story
People watch dense black smoke billowing from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, early on Wednesday
The fire is believed to have started in the immigration zone at about 05:00 (02:00 GMT)
Continue reading the main story
1/6
Hours after the blaze began, Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said it had been contained.
Continue reading the main story
Jomo Kenyatta Airport
Busiest airport in east and central Africa, and seventh busiest in Africa
Handles six million passengers a year
Hub for neighbouring countries as well as cities as far away as Lagos, Johannesburg and Cairo - as well as gateway to continent for Europe and Asia
Serves 49 destinations in 23 countries, across five continents
Key export point for Kenya's flower industry, one of the country's top foreign exchange earners
"We have lost the arrival areas and a number of offices have been gutted," he told journalists.
"We have heightened security to make sure people are safe.... We will make sure we establish the true cause of the fire."
Cabinet secretary for transport Michael Kamau earlier said the blaze began in the immigration zone, which he said was deep inside the affected building, making it difficult for firefighters to reach.
He paid tribute to the work of the emergency services.
President Uhuru Kenyatta - whose father the airport was named after - has toured the burning building to see the damage.
Incoming flights have been diverted to regional airports and to Mombasa, where the BBC's Odhiambo Joseph said there were chaotic scenes with hundreds of passengers stranded.
Correspondents say authorities will be keen to get the airport operational as soon as possible - and an airport authority committee is looking at how to do so.
The blaze comes two days after aircraft were delayed for several hours after the failure of a hydrant needed for refuelling planes at the airport
