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10:55AM EST: A massive fuel tank fire at Miami International Airport overnight has caused American Airlines to cancel 22 outbound and 14 inbound flights Thursday, said airport spokesman Greg Chin.

The airline canceled the flights to avoid delays, Chin said. The fire reduced fuel supply to 40 percent, he said.

Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish the fire, which started late Wednesday night. The blaze was under control Thursday morning.

In addition to American — which makes up about 70 percent of MIA’s traffic — other airlines are reporting flight delays.

The fire is also slowing up the fueling process at the airport. With the main fueling system damaged in the fire, the airport is using tanker trucks, a much slower process, Chin said.

Compounding the airport problems, Concourse J was evacuated around 8:30 a.m. Thursday because of a suspicious package that was deemed safe about an hour later.

The fire reduced fuel supply to 40 percent, Chin said. Since the main fueling system was damaged in the fire, planes are not able to be fueled. Authorities were using tanker trucks, a much slower process.

Authorities are asking travelers to check with their airlines for updates.

Authorities asked travelers heading to the airport should to take either State Road 836 or State Road 112.

2:48AM EST: Miami-Dade firefighters were battling a major fire at Miami International Airport early Thursday.

Drivers could see smoke billowing from the airport as they drove on nearby State Road 836 shortly after 11 p.m. The fire started Wednesday night and raged into early Thursday morning.

The fire was at a fuel tank farm in the southeast corner of the airport, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Capt. Eric Baum said. The fire was not near runways or the terminals, he said.

An airport spokeswoman said that, as of 1 a.m., only one flight had been delayed.

But getting the fire under control would take significant manpower. Early Thursday, Baum said fire rescue had 20 units on scene, all working to contain the blaze. Their strategy, he said, was to let the tanks already on fire burn off while protecting the other tanks.

Firefighters were using tall ladder trucks to lob water onto tanks that needed protection from catching fire, Baum said. Firefighters also were working with airport personnel to shut off the flow of fuel to the tanks.

“This is an extremely dangerous operation,” Baum said. “It’s very fluid. Our tactics right now are to prevent additional tanks from catching fire.”

Travelers who had questions about whether their flights were affected were told to check with their individual airlines for updates.

Early Thursday, firefighters still were not sure exactly how many tanks were ablaze. They also did not know what started the fire.

(Source: Miami Herald)