By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
A MYSTERIOUS fire at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay left sections in darkness for hours on Saturday night, and has crippled the air conditioning system for the next three to four days.
But yesterday, Sonia Rickards, public relations consultant for the island's largest airport which was privatised just last year, said the fire caused little structural damage and caused no disruption to flights.
Rickards said the blaze started at approximately 11:30 p.m. behind the facility's ground transportation hall, plunging the section between arrival gates 7 to 14 into darkness for about five hours.
"However, the entire airport was not affected," she told The Gleaner yesterday. Sangster is the major entry point for some 70 per cent of overnight visitors.
ELECTRIC SHORT CIRCUIT
Eric Hall, spokesman for the Montego Bay Fire Department which fought the blaze, said the fire seemed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, and that preliminary estimate of the damage has been put at US$250,000 ($14.75 million).
Mrs. Rickards said at present electricity has been restored to the affected areas, but the air conditioning cables have been badly affected.
"We now have to find the cables to have it all sorted out," she said. "For the next three to four days we will not be having air conditioning." She said the airport suffered no structural damage and all airlines have been made aware of the situation.
Ms. Rickards also stated that since very few flights normally come into the airport at the time the incident occurred, there were no delays.
She said a full investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the fire.
"As soon as the investigation has been carried out by the relevant authorities we will know what really transpired," she said.
Sangster International, the island's major gateway, has been leased under a 30-year concession to an international consortium registered locally as MBJ Airports Limited, which will upgrade and operate the facility.
MBJ Airports is to spend US$180 million ($10.6 billion) to upgrade the facility over the next five years. The plans include installation of six jet bridges on the existing terminal, a modern computerised security control system, and the construction of a new terminal and a 12-gate concourse.
