"Something is happening in JFK airport. We are not allowed to depart."
Hundreds of travelers were evacuated from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday morning, after a fire broke out inside of a terminal. Video footage that has since surfaced on social media show the unfolding chaos as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene.
According to ABC News, the fire broke out in an escalator inside Terminal 8 around 7 a.m., causing the terminal to become filled with smoke. Airlines that fly out of Terminal 8 include American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Video taken from inside of the terminal taken near Gate 41 shows plumes of smoke while an alarm can be heard screeching.
Fire at JFK airport- Terminal 8 pic.twitter.com/xlumAQpyk7
— Conceptions Events (@ConceptEventsNJ) July 24, 2024
One passenger who was on a flight waiting to depart the tarmac recorded video of a line of New York Fire Department trucks racing to the scene. "Something is happening in JFK airport. We are not allowed to depart," they wrote.
Something is happening in #JFK airport. We are not allowed to depart. pic.twitter.com/baPTOFp4Sp
— Kiko ChImP Alvarez (@Kiko_Alvarez) July 24, 2024
In a follow-up video posted shortly after, even more emergency vehicles could be seen racing to the scene. "More and more are coming..." they added.
More and more are coming... #JFK #NYC pic.twitter.com/CVxQh2u9DH
— Kiko ChImP Alvarez (@Kiko_Alvarez) July 24, 2024
Spectrum News NY1 reporter Alyssa Paolicelli reported from the scene that nearly 1,000 travelers were evacuated due to the fire and bussed to other parts of the terminal. She also noted that four people had reportedly been taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Emergency services still on scene at #JFK Terminal 8 after an escalator fire just before 8 this morning. According to Port Authority nearly 1,000 flyers were evacuated and busses to other parts of the terminal. Four people taken to the hospital with minor injuries. @NY1 pic.twitter.com/i9NeXBinuT
— Alyssa Paolicelli (@APaolicelli17) July 24, 2024
It's unclear how the fire impacted any potential flight delays, particularly in the wake of the global CrowdStrike outages that have caused headaches for travelers since last Friday. As of Tuesday, Delta was still canceling hundreds of flights. However, a Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesperson said that by 8:15 a.m., terminal operations had resumed and the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
