Fire breaks out at JFK Airport after escalator bursts into flames

The cause of the fire was not immediately known

Firefighters arrived around 7 a.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of smoke at the Queens airport (AP)

An escalator at New York’s JFK International Airport caught fire, causing smoke to fill one of the terminals, according to FDNY.

Firefighters arrived around 7 a.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of smoke at the Queens airport, the department said. Terminal 8 was evacuated after the small, which erupted on an escalator in Concourse C.

Photos and videos posted online show crowds of people standing outside the airport, planes stuck on the tarmac, smoke filling the hallways, and emergency vehicles pulling up to the terminal.

Nine people sustained non-life-threatening injuries, eight of whom were taken to the hospital for further evaluation, FDNY said.

Nearly 1,000 people were evacuated from the terminal, NBC New York reported.

It’s not immediately clear what caused the fire, but an investigation is ongoing.

Just before 8 a.m., the airport warned in a post on X: “Flight operations at Terminal 8 have been impacted. Please check with your airline to determine the status of your flight.”

As of 1 p.m., 199 flights at the airport have been delayed, according to FlightAware.

A spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told the Associated Press that terminal operations resumed by 8:15 a.m.