MIAMI – Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews responded to an intense blaze at Miami International Airport on Wednesday morning after authorities said they found four vehicles fully engulfed in flames upon arrival.
Travelers arriving at MIA’s Flamingo parking garage encountered heavy smoke around 11:30 a.m.
“When I got to the second floor, the smoke was coming out, so I couldn’t see anything,” Maria Bello said. “Really bad. No lights, no exit lights, no parking space lights, nothing.”
Investigators began examining the scene after the fire was extinguished.
The first-floor ramp near Level 1 of the parking garage was closed off as crews assessed the damage.
In addition to the four cars destroyed, authorities confirmed that at least eight others sustained damage from the fire’s heat.
Noon report:
Miami-Dade firefighters, who shared video of their efforts to extinguish the blaze, said the amount of water used was so substantial that it seeped down to the ground level below.
“None of the vehicles involved were electric vehicles,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Rogelio Vandamas said. “They were all gasoline vehicles.”
“Since the garage is made of concrete, the heat does spall the concrete,” Vandamas added. “So we had a little spalling. And the airport engineering department is looking at it to determine the best course of action for the parking garage at this time.”
MIA’s Flamingo Garage at Miami International Airport has reopened, with the exception of the ramp where a fire occurred and the ramps directly above and below it, according to Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.