The airport in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, suffered from a fire on Wednesday, resulting in grounded flights and stranded travelers, according to NBC. The airport has been closed indefinitely as a result of the fire.
The fire burned for hours at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as firefighters tried to put it out. The fire started around 5 a.m. local time in the immigration section of the departure lounge and then spread to the arrivals area, according to officials.
A dense, black cloud of smoke was visible for miles as the firefighters struggled to put out the flames. There have been no reports of injuries.
Incoming international flights have been diverted or canceled and the airport has been closed until further notice, Michael Kamau, the cabinet secretary for transport and infrastructure, told the Associated Press.
The Nairobi Airport is the busiest airport in the East Africa region and the closure will likely impact other area airports throughout the region. It is the hub for Kenya Airways, one of the largest international carriers in Africa, as well as a member of the Delta SkyTeam airline group.
Passengers and witnesses reported a slow response to the fire by the local fire service, which is under resourced. The surrounding roads were gridlocked.
"I would have expected more fire engines to respond faster," Martyn Collbeck, a British passenger, said. "When I arrived there were one or two fire engines parked outside the international arrivals."
Passenger, Barry Fisher, planned to fly to Ethiopia on Wednesday morning, though his plans will likely need to be changed as a result of the airport closure.
"There was no one stopping any traffic going to the road to the airport," Fisher said. "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," Fisher continued.
Fire engines ran low on water and tankers were being used to bring water to the fire.
Boniface Mwaniki, Kenya's anti-terror boss, told the Associated Press that he was waiting for the fire to be put out to inspect the scene before he ruled out terrorism.
EuroNews coverage of the airport fire.
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