JKIA ON FIRE-NAIROBI KENYA

Nairobi airport closes as fire crews tackle blaze

7 August 2013 Last updated at 13:15

A huge fire has ravaged the main international airport
in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
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
have been reports that it took emergency services a
long time to respond.
Images from the scene showed flames leaping from
one of the main buildings.
There have been no reports of any casualties and the
cause of the fire is not clear.
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 it is now the height of the tourist season - 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 Emmanuel Igunza at the scene.
Shares in Kenya Airways fell in early trading on
Wednesday.
Despite earlier official statements that the airport had
been closed indefinitely, presidential spokesman
Manoah Esipisu said domestic flights and international
cargo flights would resume later on Wednesday.
'Water shortage'
The cabinet secretary for transport, Michael Kamau,
earlier described the fire as "very severe", and although
it is contained firefighters are still battling the flames.
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.
Passengers arriving on international flights - some still
in their seats - reported hearing explosions from the
terminal building.
Fire engines did not begin to arrive for one to two
hours after the fire broke out, witnesses told our
correspondent - by which time the blaze was ravaging
the cavernous and ageing 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.
One witness told AP news agency she had seen
soldiers and police trying to douse the inferno using
buckets of water.
Witnesses said traffic jams prevented emergency
vehicles getting through, leading the interior ministry to
appeal to cars to get out of their way.
Shocked would-be passengers stood outside the
airport, bags in hand, watching the blaze.
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."
American student Emily Mosites was in the airport
trying to get a flight to Kisumu when the fire broke out.
"There was no emergency direction on leaving - I just
stood there watching the fire. There were no officials
to tell anyone what to do.
"I wasn't told whether or not there were any flights
departing. So I thought this was insane and decided to
leave."