Emergency responders worked overnight to contain a fire that broke out in the Club Kingston VIP Departure Lounge at Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) on Friday.
Officials confirmed that the fire was confined to a section of the terminal and that no injuries were reported. The terminal was evacuated as a precaution while firefighters worked to bring the situation under control.
The fire caused temporary flight delays.
In a statement on Friday night, airport operators PAC Kingston Airport Limited (PACKAL) said, “The terminal building was safely evacuated in accordance with our emergency protocols, and there are no reported injuries at this time. Airport emergency response teams and local fire services are working to contain the situation.”
Transport Minister Daryl Vaz told The Gleaner that preliminary assessments suggest the fire started in an air conditioning vent inside the VIP lounge.
“Thankfully, the fire does not pose a major risk to the entire airport; it is contained in the VIP Club Kingston. The smoke visible throughout the departure area is due to the air-conditioning system spreading it,” Vaz said.
In a follow-up statement, Vaz confirmed that the fire was successfully contained and that there was no major damage to the facility.
“We can say at this point that there is no major damage and that we expect that in short order, we will be able to restore normality at the airport,” Vaz said last night.
He noted that the primary concern was smoke that had spread through the AC system into other areas of the departure lounge. “Personnel are currently venting out the smoke to facilitate the resumption of normal airport operations,” he added.
A British Airways flight arriving from London was among those affected by the disruption, but Vaz said officials hoped to land and turn it around with only a slight delay.
Video footage obtained by The Gleaner showed passengers and airport staff evacuating as smoke billowed from the lounge. Some luggage was reportedly soaked as firefighters battled the flames, while alarms blared in the background.
The Jamaica Fire Brigade is investigating the cause of the fire.
Coincidentally, just a day before the incident, the Norman Manley International Airport had conducted a full-scale Aerodrome Emergency Exercise to assess its emergency response system in collaboration with mutual aid partners and primary response agencies.
In an update this morning, the operators of the NMIA said all flights are operating as planned.
