It's been over a month since the inferno that consumed part of the Jacksonville International Airport's hourly parking garage, and remnants of the ordeal persist with 17 vehicles still marooned on site. After the blaze forced a halt to airport operations and left hundreds in disarray, a gradual process of recovery is underway.
Airport spokespeople have relayed that vehicles from the fourth floor were cleared out last week. Now, the remaining 17 on the third floor, where the fire originated, are slated for removal in the coming days. Zachary Willis, one of those affected, recounted the damages to his truck which was parked on the epicenter of the conflagration. "The air conditioning in the vehicle doesn’t work anymore, my unlock buttons don’t work anymore, my dash has a soft spot where it got heated up," Willis told First Coast News, detailing a steep $20,000 to $30,000 repair estimate.
Meanwhile, other individuals like Jeni Kimmey, faced prolonged uncertainty and considered replacing her car during the three-week wait to retrieve her not heavily damaged vehicle. Approximately 50 vehicles were reported to have caught fire in the incident, as noted by Action News Jax.
Tracey Casteel, a Nassau County resident, experienced a tangible loss in the incident. After a month passed, she was able to reclaim her vehicle and spoke of her frustration and anger. Casteel told News4Jax, "Frustrated, Sometimes angry." The event not only yielded structural damage to the garage but also triggered a temporary shutdown and significant disruptions to people's travel plans. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has taken the lead on the fire investigation, with no updates provided so far.
