9 injured, hundreds evacuated in JFK airport escalator fire

Several people were taken to the hospital after an escalator caught fire at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport Wednesday morning, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told ABC News.

The small fire in Concourse C sent smoke billowing into Terminal 8 of the airport around 7 a.m.

Nine people were slightly injured by smoke inhalation, four of whom were hospitalized, according to WABC, New York’s ABC channelNone of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

About 960 people were evacuated by bus to another area of ​​the terminal, authorities said.

One traveler, Nate Peckinpaugh, told ABC News he was about to board a flight from New York to Washington, D.C., when the fire broke out.

“I was boarding a flight at the exact terminal we were evacuated from. The alarm went off for a long time and no one paid any attention,” Peckinpaugh told ABC News.

“Eventually this woman started running around screaming for help,” he added.

Peckinpaugh recorded the incident on his phone, from the alarm going off at the terminal to the escorting of passengers outside, some covering their faces to protect themselves from the smoke. Firefighters were then seen arriving on the scene, with some people being rescued from the jetway while others were placed on stretchers for assistance.

Operations resumed at the terminal around 8:15 a.m., authorities said, and the cause of the fire is now under investigation.