JFK Airport fire causes Terminal 8 to be evacuated, as international travelers scramble to catch flights
NEW YORK -- A fire at John F. Kennedy International Airport forced Terminal 8 to be evacuated Wednesday morning.
Airport officials said flights were briefly impacted, but have since resumed. Travelers should check with their airlines for their flight status.
Terminal 8 houses several international carriers, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Southern, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Level, Qantas, Qatar Airways and Royal Jordanian.
Terminal 8 filled with smoke from escalator fire
The FDNY said firefighters responded shortly after 7 a.m. to reports of smoke and found an escalator on fire.
Terminal 8 was evacuated because of the smoky conditions. About 960 people were bused to another terminal, airport officials said.
CBS New York spoke with one man who was waiting for his daughter.
"She called and told me there was smoke at the terminal she was at. I saw the smoke on FaceTime, and I've been on FaceTime with her for about an hour and a half," he said.
Nine people suffered minor injuries, and eight of them were treated at local hospitals.