Kenya's main international airport has been closed as firefighters tackle a large blaze in the arrivals area.
A MASSIVE fire destroyed the arrivals hall at Kenya's main international airport, forcing the closure of East Africa's largest airport and the rerouting of all inbound flights.
The blaze which began at 5am local time (midday AEST) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport resulted in large clouds of black smoke billowing from the scene at one of East Africa's most important transport hubs.
Instagram user mkaranja posted this image of damage inside the arrival hall: A photo from inside the arrival area of #JKIA courtesy of @angelkatusia. Source: Supplied
Passengers reported a slow response by the under-resourced fire brigade, and the blaze raged for four hours before being contained.
The Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre, in a recent update, said the airport "remains closed indefinitely'', but that the fire had been "contained''.
Kenya Airways have issued a statement insisting that all of its passengers escaped the blaze without injuries: "All incoming and outgoing passengers are safe."
"We reassure international and local travelers that arrangements are being put in place to restore normal operations. The airlines are working to assist stranded passengers and advise them on the measures being put in place to resume services at JKIA,'' said Stephen Gichuki, the director of the Kenyan Airports Authority.
No injuries were reported, said Michael Kamau, the cabinet secretary for transport and infrastructure.
The fire broke out on the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy bombings in Nairobi and neighboring Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, but there were no immediate signs of terrorism.
A British passenger, Martyn Collbeck, said he was surprised that the airport wasn't shut down sooner so that emergency vehicles could respond.
"When I arrived there were one or two fire engines parked outside the international arrivals. It spread very fast,'' said Mr Collbeck, who had been scheduled to fly back to London on an early morning KLM flight. "There were a couple of explosions which I think were a couple of gas canisters.''
But, he added: "I would have expected more fire engines to respond faster.''
Associated Press reporters at the scene earlier today said it appeared the fire had gutted the international arrivals area, where passengers pass through immigration and retrieve their luggage.
The blaze comes two days after aircraft were delayed for several hours after the failure of a fuel hydrant needed for refuelling the planes.
President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived at the scene earlier today to get first-hand updates on the fire.
Stranded passengers stood on sidewalks outside the airport holding their luggage.
Inbound flights have been rerouted to other Kenyan airports.
Barry Fisher, a trade specialist who lives in Nairobi, described the scene as chaos.
"There was no one stopping any traffic going to the road to the airport,'' he said. "A number of fire trucks and ambulances were trying to negotiate their way through the lane. ... They were trying to weave their way through a solid two lanes of cars.''
Images broadcast earlier today on Kenyan media showed flames rising high in the sky and billowing clouds of black smoke out of the main arrivals and departures terminal, with dozens of police and fire trucks at the scene.
The airport serves as a regional hub for East Africa, with many long-distance international flights landing there to connect to countries across the region.
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