Fire at San Francisco International Airport burns cargo containers, debris

By Carlos E. Castañeda

A fire burning at San Francisco International Airport on Friday afternoon sent billowing smoke over the airport as well as lanes of U.S. Highway 101 and adjacent BART and AirTrain tracks.

The fire burned in a United Airlines cargo storage area just west of the terminals on N. McDonnell Road near the maze of roadways and trackways in and out of the airport. 

The San Francisco Fire Department originally said the fire was burning debris, while an airport spokesperson called it a pallet fire. However, an aerial view showed the fire burning in several cargo containers as well as surrounding debris.

The Fire Department later said the fire was contained to five container boxes and was not threatening any structures. The material that was burning was items that are given away to passengers, such as headphones, blankets, toiletries, and hand wipes, the department said.

Airport spokesman Doug Yakel said the fire had no impact on airport operations.

There were no injuries, the Fire Department said. It was not immediately known what caused the fire.

This is a breaking news update. More information to be added as available.