A fire that spread through a grassy location of Southwest Florida International Airport has destroyed thousands of condominium cars, fire officials said.
Officials said the blaze started on Friday, Apr. 3, spanned 15 acres, and initially involved around 20 cars in the grassy rental car overflow area on the airport in Fort Myers.
Firefighters managed to contain the blaze by unloading water at the flames with the help of helicopters.
More than 3,500 cars destroyed
The Lee County Port Authority told USA Today the fire started in an area where rental cars are stored, east of Terminal Access Road.
A Lee County Port spokesperson told CNN affiliate WINK the flames had destroyed more than 3,500 rental cars by the time it was extinguished.
According to DailyMail, witnesses heard a couple of small explosions and flames leaping excessive into the air as the fire spread throughout the area.
The Sheriff's Office posted a series of pics showing the volume of the damage to hundreds of cars. Photos from after the fire was extinguished showed rows of burnt-out vehicles spread across the lot.
It is thought the automobile rental parking lot was busier than usual due to the coronavirus lockdown as fewer clients had hired motors. Most flights are suspended, and travel arrangements are in place.
Another 3,850 automobiles had been undamaged, airport spokeswoman Vicki Moreland told DailyMail. Fort Myers News-Press added the vehicles were not occupied.
Melinda Avni, a Mitigation Specialist for Florida Forestry Service of Caloosahatchee, said officials contained the heat at around 5 pm Friday. At the same time, there had been about 20 vehicles involved.
The forestry provider deemed the blaze contained by 10:30 a.m. Saturday, nearly 18 hours after it commenced, Avni stated.
The brush surrounding the overflow region caught fireplace and assist its brief spread, however no systems on the airport had been affected, Avni said. She said no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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We are also conducting water drops at this time. #FLForestService #wildfire #LeeCounty pic.twitter.com/wdSVWPMCu7 — FFS Caloosahatchee (@FFS_cafc) April 3, 2020
Fire didn't affect air traffic, airport operations
In a Facebook post, the airport thanked all the companies who responded to the blaze.
"Thank you to the regional mutual aid fire departments and Division of Forestry for their heroic efforts in aiding RSW in last night's fire We appreciate their courage and willingness to help our Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting Department. Together they were able to keep all our passengers and airport visitors safe," the post read.
Arlene Salac, a spokeswoman for the FAA, told the DailyMail the fire did not affect air traffic or operations at the airport. The airport is fully operational, and the inbound lanes of Terminal Access Road reopened at 11 p.m. Friday, Moreland said.
Fire officials stated the fire was completely contained and extinguished by Saturday morning. The Forest Service also made sure the fireplace would not start again in the scene.
