Authorities in Kenya ordered the closing of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after a huge fire erupted on Wednesday morning, The Associated Press reported.
Hours later, authorities reopened for domestic and cargo flights.
Michael Kamau, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure, said the airport will be changing some of its units into international terminals so more flights can resume. International traffic is still suspended at this time.
Only emergency landings were permitted after the fire which began around 5 a.m., when many flights from Europe and elsewhere were expected. Several of those flights were redirected to Mombasa.
There have been no reports of casualties or serious injuries. However, some reports said the arrival of emergency vehicles were delayed due to rush hour traffic on the roads.
Officials said the fire was contained after several hours although they didn't know when the airport could reopen. The airport reportedly attends to 16,000 travelers a day.
Just two days earlier, an issue with a fuel jet pump forced flights to land at other airports within the region including some in Mombasa, Entebbe International Airport in Uganda, and Kigali International Airport in Rwanda.
Witnesses said a thick cloud of black smoke was visible from the Kenyan capital, just a few miles away. According to reporters from The AP, the scene was flooded with passengers and their luggage from international arrivals after they were removed.
Aug. 7 is the anniversary of the 1998 bombings of United States Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that were responsible for the deaths of 200 people.
However, Kenyan antiterror police boss Boniface Mwaniki told The AP he would wait for the fire to be extinguished before linking the incident with terorrism.
Katie Price, an American aid worker who arrived from Zambia, said after she landed the fire broke out and "looked like it would be hard to repair."
