NAIROBI, Kenya - A small fire at Kenya's main airport swelled into an inferno Wednesday that destroyed part of East Africa's largest aviation hub and hampered air travel across the continent.
Firefighters were desperately short of equipment in an area where the county government apparently lacks a single working fire engine. Crews needed hours to get the flames under control and at one point resorted to a line of officers passing water buckets.
The early-morning blaze gutted the arrival hall, forcing authorities to close the entire airport and airlines to cancel dozens of flights. The flames also charred airport banks and foreign-exchange bureaus. No serious injuries were reported.
The blaze revived long-standing safety concerns about Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Kenya's anti-terror police boss, Boniface Mwaniki, said he was waiting for more information before ruling out terrorism.
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Authorities last week shut down several duty-free shops at the airport, and some Kenyan media reports speculated that disgruntled parties from the forced closings may have had motive to carry out an arson attack.
International airlines, including South African Airways, Etihad and Emirates, canceled flights to Nairobi. Qatar Air said its Nairobi flights were being rerouted to the Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania.
The domestic and departure terminals, which are separated from the arrivals hall by a road, were undamaged.
By the end of the day, the airport reopened for domestic and cargo flights but remained closed to international flights. Officials planned to convert a domestic-flight area into an international terminal for the time being.
No U.S. carriers fly direct to Nairobi.
