A fire broke out at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport on Wednesday morning, prompting evacuations and delayed flights.

Officials with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) told PIX 11 News that a fire broke out on an escalator near the airport's Terminal 8 at around 7 a.m. The fire prompted officials to evacuate people from the terminal.

"Flight operations at Terminal 8 have been impacted. Please check with your airline to determine the status of your flight," the airport wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.


X users also shared videos of impacted flights, such as user @Kiko_Alvarez, who wrote, "Something is happening in #JFK airport. We are not allowed to depart."

Newsweek reached out to John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport via email for comment.

A spokesperson for the FDNY confirmed to Newsweek that the agency first received a call of a fire at around 7:01 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning.

The call was made for a "report of smoke," and fire officials discovered a fire in an escalator, the FDNY told Newsweek.

The FDNY spokesperson told Newsweek that Terminal 8 was evacuated "due to [a] smoke condition." No injuries were reported from the incident, and fire operations are currently ongoing, they said.

In a statement to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the New York and New Jersey Port Authority said,

"At about 7:15 this morning, an escalator in concourse C at JFK's Terminal 8 began showing smoke. About 960 people were bused to other areas of the terminal where operations continue. Four people were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The cause is under investigation."

AA number of photos and videos of the incident were also shared on social media.

"Fire at JFK airport- Terminal 8," X user @ConceptEventsNJ wrote in a post that included a video showing heavy smoke inside the terminal.

X user @BlankUser685806 shared several similar photos and wrote, "Reported fire at JFK terminal 8, whole terminal filled with smoke and evacuation with no explanation."


X user @Kiko_Alvarez shared an updated video on social media and wrote, "We have been moved from the gate, but we are not departing... That's the situation right now."

Alyssa Paolicelli of NY1 shared a video showing a widespread law enforcement presence outside the terminal and wrote, "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."


Flight Delays:

Airlines that use Terminal 8 include British Airways, American Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, and Royal Jordanian. A flight tracker on the JFK airport website shows that several flights from Terminal 8 have been delayed.

Some delayed flights in Terminal 8 include American Airlines Flight 2966, Qatar Airways Flight 2602, American Airlines Flight 4538, British Airways Flight 4671, Cathay Pacific Flight 7526, and Qatar Airways Flight 9368.
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