New York Airport Escalator Fire, Hundreds Of People Evacuated

JAKARTA - A number of people were taken to hospital after the escalator caught fire at John F. Kennedy International Airport New York, United States.

A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said a small fire in Concourse C caused smoke to billow through Terminal 8 of the airport at around 7 a.m., Wednesday, July 24 local time.

Nine people suffered minor injuries from inhaling smoke, four of whom were hospitalized, according to ABC Station New York WABC.

About 960 people were evacuated by bus to another area at the terminal, officials said.

A traveler, Nate Peckinpaugh, told ABC News he was on a flight from New York to Washington, DC, when the fire broke out.

"I was chasing a flight at the terminal where we were evacuated. The alarm sounded long and no one noticed," said Peckinpaugh.

"Finally this woman started running and screaming for help," he added.

Peckinpaugh recorded the incident through his cellphone, starting from an alarm that ranged at the terminal to the passengers who were escorted out, some covering their faces from smoke.

Firefighters were then seen arriving at the scene, with several people rescued from the jet bridge while others were loaded into a stretcher to receive assistance.

Operations at the terminal resumed at around 08.15, officials said, and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.