JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Monday marked one month since the massive garage fire at Jacksonville International Airport forced the airport to temporarily close.
At least 50 vehicles caught fire inside the Hourly Parking Garage, according to JIA. Hundreds of people were left sitting outside for hours as their flights were canceled.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Action News Jax spoke with one woman who, this weekend, finally got to see her car for the first time since the fire.
It’s been a month since Tracey Casteel saw her car in person.
“I definitely felt relieved to see it,” Casteel said.
It was one of dozens of vehicles damaged in the fire. Over the weekend, she finally learned that her car had been moved out of the garage, and she could finally see it.
RELATED: ‘Extremely frustrating’: People still without answers or cars after JIA garage fire
“The back end is pretty charred, pieces of it are hanging off, the non-metal pieces are melted,” Casteel said. “(I) felt it was best not to try to drive it.”
Action News Jax first talked to Casteel last week. She said she parked her car with the valet company SP+ and eventually found out it was damaged from seeing it on one of our reports.
Casteel’s car was parked on the fourth floor of the south side of the Hourly Parking Garage. Now, one month later, JIA confirmed with us that all vehicles parked on the structurally compromised portion of the fourth floor were successfully relocated to a safe area last week.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
We reached out to JIA for an update on the number of cars left in the hourly parking garage, and if the garage is going to be fully demolished. They replied in part:
“As of right now, approximately 17 vehicles remain on the third-floor garage, where the fire started. The process for safely extracting those vehicles will take place over this week and next.
“While parts of the garage will certainly require demolition, the extent to which has not yet been determined.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
In the meantime, Casteel said she has burned through $1,700 for a rental car. She said she’s happy she is now able to get the insurance process started.
A spokesperson for JIA said the Jacksonville Aviation Authority Board of Directors are holding a meeting on Wednesday, and more updates on the garage fire will be discussed then.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
