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Fire at Miami airport causes flight delays, cancellations

By the CNN Wire Staff
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Fire erupts at Miami airport
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Eighty-three flights have been canceled or delayed as a direct result of the fire
  • NEW: Additional delays and cancellations are possible
  • The Miami airport fire started in an area where planes are refueled
  • Flames shot into the sky as firefighters worked to get the blaze under control

Miami (CNN) -- An enormous blaze sent fire crews to Miami International Airport overnight and caused a significant number of flight cancellations and delays Thursday, officials said.

The fire started Wednesday night in an area where fuel is kept after a tank caught fire, Miami-Dade fire officials noted. No one was injured in the blaze, which sent flames and black smoke billowing into the sky.

More than 30 fire crews were brought in. They had the blaze under control by roughly 1:30 a.m., fire officials said.

A total of 83 flights were canceled or delayed Thursday morning as a direct consequence of the fire, according to Mark Henderson, an airport spokesman. Henderson warned that, as of mid-morning, normal fueling operations had not been restored. Additional travel disruptions were possible, he said.

Airport officials were using tanker trucks to help refuel airplanes until normal operations could be restored, Henderson said.

Henderson noted it was unclear how long it would take for normal operations to resume.

Miami-Dade fire officials will look into the cause of the blaze, he said.

CNN's Justin Lear contributed to this report