A fire at a hotel near the Jersey Airport, located on a Channel Island between England and France, forced the airport to close due to contamination from asbestos caused by the blaze.

According to an AFP article, the fire began in several outbuildings of a private boarding house and then spread to the main building at the Broadlands Hotel. Firefighters said the blaze was “beyond getting under control”, and firefighters were pulled away from the site “because of the presence of dangerous chemicals and acetylene cylinders.”

“The airport has closed due to the close proximity of the fire and the amount of smoke. We are also evacuating the area as some of the buildings, which are mainly workshops, contain asbestos,” said Chief Fire Officer Mark James.

The small Jersey Airport flies approximately 1.5 million passengers each year from just a single terminal. Airport officials reopened parts of the airport on Tuesday after fire officials told them risk was minimal. A 100 meter exclusion zone remained in place but it was hoped that all flights would be operating on a normal schedule by Tuesday evening. More assessments will be done as the day progresses.

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