Drew Dixon
While it’s still not clear what exactly caused the fire that engulfed dozens of vehicles and heavily damaged a parking garage at Jacksonville International Airport (JIA) in May, it’s obvious now that it’s going to cost tens of millions of dollars to repair the damage.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) board members this month reviewed the situation at the hourly parking garage just east at the entrance to JIA concourses and have concluded it will take about $38 million to fix the structure.
The blaze engulfed much of the multistory parking structure on May 16 and torched about 50 vehicles before Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department personnel could bring the intense blaze under control. The fire was so powerful, it damaged the concrete structure on several floors.
JAA officials confirm most of the vehicles have been removed from the garage site. They believe the fire started in one vehicle, a BMW, but it’s still not clear what sparked the inferno.
That parking garage was designated for hourly parking, and officials said the airport lost substantial revenue while the facility has been closed for the past month. That lost revenue amounts to more than $3.5 million.
There are still considerations regarding how the garage repairs will be paid for, and some officials have confirmed to news outlets that insurance coverage may be involved in covering the cost. Whether that comes from the owner of the BMW or not remains uncertain.
JAA officials are also considering expanding the parking garage structure when the repair work gets underway. There is the possibility of adding a new floor to the structure and, as ActionNews Jax recently reported, there’d be new sprinkler systems installed in not only the damaged hourly garage, but all other parking garages located on the grounds of the JIA property.
The loss of the parking garage has also resulted in a decrease in available parking spaces at the airport. The damaged facility housed 500 parking spaces.
However, the disaster occurred at a time when parking demand was not at its peak. Outside of the Memorial Day Weekend stretch, there has not been an unusual demand for parking, such as seen during the holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, and JIA officials say they’ve been able to handle demand thus far.
