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Nairobi airport closes as fire crews tackle blaze Nairobi airport closes as fire crews tackle blaze
(about 1 hour later)
A huge fire has broken out at the main international airport in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. A huge fire has ravaged the main international airport in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) said Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) had been closed and passengers evacuated. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) - a key regional hub - has been closed, passengers evacuated and incoming flights diverted.
The fire is now said to have been contained but there has been criticism of the time it took emergency services to respond.
Images from the scene showed flames leaping from one of the main buildings.
Cabinet secretary for transport Michael Kamau said the fire was "very severe" and urged people to stay away from the airport.Cabinet secretary for transport Michael Kamau said the fire was "very severe" and urged people to stay away from the airport.
Images showed flames raging from one of the main buildings.
The interior ministry tweeted that an evacuation of the entire airport was under way, with only essential personnel remaining, but said the fire had been contained.
There have been no reports of any casualties and the cause of the fire is not clear.There have been no reports of any casualties and the cause of the fire is not clear.
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is an important regional hub for East Africa, with many long-distance flights landing there to connect to countries across the region. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is the regional hub for East Africa, with many long-distance flights landing there to connect to countries across the region.
The airport is the main gateway for European tourists and is also crucial for the country's key flower export industry, so the fire could have a huge economic impact, says the BBC's Emmanual Igunza at the scene.
Water 'shortage'Water 'shortage'
Dark smoke could be seen billowing into the sky across much of Nairobi as the fire - which began at approximately 05:00 local time (02:00 GMT) - took hold. Dark smoke could be seen billowing into the sky across much of Nairobi as the fire - which began at approximately 04:30 local time (01:30 GMT) - took hold.
The first fire engines arrived as late as 07:00, our correspondent says - by which time the blaze was ravaging the arrivals hall.
Kenya's police and fire units are poorly resourced and the state response was supplemented by the Red Cross and private security firms including - airport authorities said - the British multinational company G4S.
Some witnesses also said traffic jams had prevented emergency vehicles getting through.
Nairobi resident Barry Fisher - who had hoped to travel to Ethiopia on Wednesday - described the scene as chaotic.
"There was no one stopping any traffic going to the road to the airport," he told AP news agency.
"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."
The government also admitted that firefighters had run "dangerously low on water" and water tankers had had to be sent to bolster supplies.
Shocked would-be passengers stood outside the airport, bags in hand, watching the blaze.Shocked would-be passengers stood outside the airport, bags in hand, watching the blaze.
The BBC's David Okwembah, who is at the airport, says many ambulances are going to the scene as well as fire engines. Hours after the blaze began, Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said it had been contained.
He said a junior police officer told the BBC the fire had started at the airport's immigration zone, although this has not been confirmed. "We have lost the arrival areas and a number of offices have been gutted," he told journalists.
Multiple reports say the arrivals and immigration sections have been devastated by the blaze. "We have heightened security to make sure people are safe.... We will make sure we establish the true cause of the fire."
The BBC's Anne Soy in Nairobi quotes the government as saying fire engines are running dangerously low on water and tankers are being used to ferry water to the airport. Cabinet secretary for transport Michael Kamau earlier said the blaze began in the immigration zone, which he said was deep inside the affected building, making it difficult for firefighters to reach.
'Less smoke' He paid tribute to the work of the emergency services in tackling the blaze.
Julian Kyula - a passenger on board one of the last planes to land at the airport before flights began to be diverted - said the large cloud of black smoke had been visible from the plane. 'Insane'
He told the BBC's Newsday programme that although the plane had landed the passengers were now stranded in the cargo area - at a safe distance from the blaze but unable to leave the airport. President Uhuru Kenyatta - whose father Jomo the airport was named after - has toured the burning building to see the damage.
"Everyone is very calm, the crew is very calm, and we've disembarked from the plane now," he said, adding that passengers had not been given much information. Incoming flights have been diverted to Mombasa and other regional airports.
"There's a lot less smoke, so it's already looking a lot better than it did earlier this morning," he said. The BBC's Odhiambo Joseph is reporting chaotic scenes at Mombasa airport, with hundreds of passengers stranded.
Mutea Iringo, a senior official at the interior and national co-ordination ministry, earlier confirmed "a serious fire" at JKIA, adding: "We are doing everything possible to avert a crisis. Mutea Iringo, a senior official at the interior and national co-ordination ministry, described the fire as "massive" and said the arrivals and immigration areas had been "totally damaged".
"Apart from emergency landings, all flights into and out of JKIA have been cancelled... [the] airport has been shut down." Correspondents say authorities will be keen to get the airport operational as soon as possible - and an airport authorities' committee is looking at how to do so.
Cabinet secretary for transport Mr Kamau urged people not to obstruct the work of the emergency services. American student Emily Mosites was in the airport trying to get a flight to Kisumu when the fire broke out.
"They should allow the emergency work to continue and we kindly request even spectators, people who just want to watch, they should just keep off." "At first the fire seemed small as I could only see smoke but about 15 minutes later I thought the fire was not going to be easily contained.
The KAA said only emergency vehicles were allowed in the area. "There was no emergency direction on leaving - I just stood there watching the fire. There were no officials to tell anyone what to do.
The blaze comes two days after aircraft were delayed for several hours after the failure of a hydrant needed for refuelling planes. "I wasn't told whether or not there were any flights departing. So I thought this was insane and decided to leave."
The blaze comes two days after aircraft were delayed for several hours after the failure of a hydrant needed for refuelling planes at the airport.
It also comes 15 years to the day after attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi and in Dar es Salaam in neighbouring Tanzania killed more than 224 people - though there has been no suggestion that terrorism played any role in this fire.It also comes 15 years to the day after attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi and in Dar es Salaam in neighbouring Tanzania killed more than 224 people - though there has been no suggestion that terrorism played any role in this fire.
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