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might be some delays today
News Wire Reports
A spectacular overnight fire in an underground fuel pump station area at Miami International Airport led American Airlines to cancel about 80 flights Thursday, both incoming and outbound.
The fire damaged the underground fueling operation at the airport – where American Airlines is the major carrier – meaning that jet fuel has to be pumped from storage tanks into trucks, which then deliver it to the planes, according to airport spokesman Greg Chin.
At least two American Airlines flights were diverted to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport Thursday morning because of fueling delays, and more flights were expected through the day, said airport spokesman Greg Meyer.
The fire broke out about 11 p.m. Wednesday and was brought under control within two hours. There were no injuries reported.
However, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Eric Baum described the blaze as "as a potentially disastrous fire," in comments to the Associated Press.
Chin said the airport was expecting "a severe delay in fueling operations."
He said the fire damaged a hydrant pump used to bring the fuel through underground lines from six massive storage tanks located in the southeast corner of the airport. Five of those six tanks have been inspected, and no signs of contamination has been found, he said.
A sixth tank has yet to be checked as of mid-morning Thursday.
He described the process of refueling planes from trucks as "slower by half" than pumping fuel directly from underground lines into the jets.
While the fire produced a huge plume of flame that lit up the night sky, and spewed billowing clouds of black smoke, it did not come close to any runways or terminals at the airport, said Chin.
Traffic was shut down on Perimeter Road for several hours, but the road around the airport's southern end was later reopened, according to Chin.
Chin said he did not know how long repairs to the fuel delivery system would take. But, he added, "We are hopeful of increasing capacity today."
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The fuel storage system is managed by Allied Aviation, which is directing repairs, said Chin.
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