ATF still investigating Jacksonville International Airport garage fire, structure could be salvaged
Jacksonville International Airport leaders say it is still too early to determine what will happen to the south end of the Hourly Parking Garage after a fire on May 16 that burned about 50 cars.
Michael Stewart, VP of External Affairs with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, said the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) is treating the third and fourth floors of the garage as a crime scene until they can determine the cause of the fire.
While the ATF conducts its investigations, about 100 cars between the two most impacted floors will have to stay where they are.
'We still have a crime scene area and a structurally compromised area that we cannot get into,' Stewart said.
Once the cause of the fire is determined, that's when Stewart said construction crews can start to work their way through the third and fourth floors, assess the damage, and decide how the structure can be repaired.
PHOTO GALLERY: Parking garage fire at Jacksonville International Airport
RELATED: Jacksonville International Airport Hourly Parking Garage Fire: Timeline of events
Right now, Stewart said there is hope that the structure can be salvaged without demolition, but there is no way to say that for sure until crews make their assessment.
He said the crews have already started to shore up, or reinforce the strength of the structure with beams and columns, on the lower-level floors of the garage.
Stewart touts the success of the airport's efforts to reunite drivers with their cars.
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'Seven hundred vehicle owners were contacted in this process, and the call center made contact with 3,500 people just last week,' Stewart said.
He said there are still about 17 people that the airport has not made contact with, though.
For those people who still need to make contact with airport officials, Stewart said they can:
Go to flyjax.com and supply the information required
Or call 904-741-2710 and leave a message
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Stewart also said that while the airport has made moves to accommodate the parking lapse with the opening of 300 economy lot spots, he's still encouraging flyers to be dropped off instead of parking.
'We are going to be down and challenged with respect to parking, but we have enough parking for people coming to the airport now,' he said.
Stewart said there is no estimated timeline for when the ATF could complete its investigation.
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