New report reveals first car that caught fire at Jacksonville airport parking garage
A Jacksonville Aviation Authority police report obtained by Times-Union news partner First Coast News details the events leading up to the parking garage fire that shut down the Jacksonville International Airport May 16. It also reveals the first car to catch fire four hours after a woman parked.
According to the report, the Aviation Authority received a dispatch call from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 12:06 p.m. regarding a vehicle on fire in the hourly garage.
The first airport officer on scene said he discovered a car had caught on fire with flames rapidly spreading to others around it. The smoke resulted in “low/no visibility” in the garage, so the officer assisted several passengers from the garage to safety.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue personnel responded and extinguished the fire but said it had spread to and damaged about 50 other vehicles.
The airport then ceased all operations, the report states.
The investigation continued with review of surveillance footage, which showed the following:
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8:07 a.m.: Dark-colored mid-size BMW enters hourly garage through upper level access.
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8:09 a.m.: Woman parks, exits car and walks toward departures.
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12:03 p.m.: Smoke observed coming from beneath of the front of the car.
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12:04 p.m.: Vehicle is fully engulfed in fire. Camera loses visibility because of smoke.
The report does not state whether the BMW was a gas, electric or hybrid vehicle.
What’s the latest from Jacksonville International Airport about parking garage fire updates?
A concrete support beam from an upper floor rests on a burned vehicle May 19, 2025. The beam fell during the fire at the Jacksonville International Airport’s hourly parking three days earlier. A portion of the parking garage partially collapsed during the mid-day fire that forced the closure of airport for several hours and the indefinite closure of the parking garage to allow experts to assess the structural safety of the building.
The Aviation Authority also issued the following updates:
The north side of the Hourly Garage (Rows A-E, all levels) is accessible to travelers parked there at 5 p.m. May 20. A call center will be staffed until 7 p.m. and reopen at 9 a.m. Customers that do not remember where they parked are welcome to call (904) 741-2710. If customers want to reach out after 7 p.m., they can email jax_airport_event@flyjax.com and a call center representative will contact them in the morning. Valet customers can call (904) 741-3900.
Airport staff are now calling individuals parked in safe areas of the hourly garage that registered their vehicles at flyjax.com. Once contacted, they can pick up their vehicles starting at 5 p.m. May 20.
“We ask that people come and get their vehicles only AFTER they are contacted by staff confirming their vehicle is safe to pick up to help us ensure an orderly process,” the authority said.
(This story has been updated with another JAA statement.)
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Report describes first car catching fire at Jacksonville airport parking garage
