A fire at a parking garage temporarily closed Jacksonville International Airport during the afternoon hours on Friday, May 16, disrupting plans for thousands of travelers both entering and leaving the First Coast.

Here's what we know at this time.

Why did Jacksonville International Airport close?

The airport closed after 12 p.m. due to a fire in the hourly parking garage. Video appeared to show multiple vehicles in the area of the fire.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department chief Keith Powers said the department began to receive reports of smoke shortly after 12 p.m.

At 12:45 p.m., the airport's official Twitter/X account announced that "the airport is currently closed. JFRD is on-site working the issue. JSO has blocked inbound and outbound road access to the airport."

By 2:30 p.m., the airport had begun to reopen access to several of its other parking facilities: the economy lots, daily garage and daily surface lot.

"Airport shuttle buses will take them to their vehicles. The pick-up location is the pre-arranged/premier parking lot on the lower level of Baggage Claim," the airport posted on Twitter/X.

In an afternoon briefing, Mayor Donna Deegan said the airport will reopen at 5 p.m. Friday. However, the hourly garage, daily garage and daily surface lot remained closed.

Deegan said that as of 4 p.m., the fire was contained but not yet fully extinguished.

Was anyone injured in the Jacksonville airport fire?

City Council president Randy White said in a statement to the Times-Union that no serious injuries were reported.

Deegan said that crews used a drone in an effort to confirm that no other people were inside the burned garage.

How much damage occurred from the Jacksonville airport fire?

Deegan said that about 50 cars were involved in the fire inside the hourly garage.

In addition, Powers said that the garage sustained a partial structural collapse to the second and third floors, followed by a secondary collapse about 30 minutes later.

That could lead to a long-term challenge in removing the vehicles, whether fire-damaged or not, from the garage. He cited the Ascension St. Vincent's parking garage collapse in September 2023 as an example of the complications of the process.

"I would not expect it to be a short period of time," Powers said.

Powers said the hourly garage last underwent inspection in October 2024.

What caused the Jacksonville airport fire?

Powers said initial reviews indicated that the fire began with one vehicle and spread to others. He said the department has reviewed video but has not yet determined the type of vehicle in which the fire began.

Michael Stewart, director of external affairs for the airport, said the fire started on the second floor of the garage.

The cause remains undetermined.

Powers said seven engines were involved in fighting the blaze, which was classified as a two-alarm fire. Also used in the firefighting effort were three crash trucks, five ladder trucks, four rescue units, three squad and three tankers.

When will Jacksonville airport flights return to normal?

Several flights scheduled to arrive or depart the airport were delayed or canceled on Friday. As of Saturday morning, about a half-dozen departing flights had been canceled. Passengers are encouraged to check with airlines for flight updates.

How will the garage fire affect long-term parking at the airport?

The hourly garage with 1,200 spaces is closed indefinitely. Additionally, the nearby daily garage and daily surface lot were closed Saturday morning, limiting the parking capacity at the airport. By mid-morning, the airport reported on its website that nearly all of its parking lots were full, including its outlying economy parking lots.

Stewart urged travelers to consider using rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft because of the reduced parking.

He also recommended that travelers check with airlines to confirm any changes.

(This story has been updated to include new information.)