A raging fire broke out at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Friday evening, engulfing a section of grassland and sending thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

The inferno, which was captured in widely circulated videos and images, sparked concern as flames spread towards 75 Airport-North Road near the Embakasi Garrison.

Authorities have yet to determine the exact cause of the fire, though preliminary reports suggest it may have ignited outside the airport’s perimeter fence before advancing into the grassland.

The National Police Service (NPS) confirmed the incident, detailing the time and location of the fire while assuring the public that operations at the airport were not disrupted.

“The National Police Service wishes to notify the public that there was a fire incident that affected the grassland around Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The fire started at around 6:30 pm along the perimeter fence on North Airport Road," the National Police Service said in a statement.

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"A coordinated emergency response team from the Airport, Kenya Defence Forces, General Service Unit, and Nairobi City County contained the fire. Meanwhile, all airport operations are continuing uninterrupted. National Police Service in collaboration with other agencies have launched investigations to determine the cause of the fire.”

The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) also issued a statement affirming that despite the intensity of the fire, critical infrastructure and operations at JKIA remained intact.

The authority noted that a multi-agency team had been deployed to manage the situation.

"The Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) is actively managing a fire incident currently affecting a section of the grassland surrounding Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). A coordinated response team, including the KAA Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting Service, the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), and Nairobi County Fire Unit, is working diligently to contain the situation," KAA said.

"KAA assures the public that the fire is confined to non-operational grassland areas and has not impacted any critical infrastructure or operational zones of JKIA. All airport activities, including flight schedules, passenger processing, and cargo handling, remain fully operational and unaffected. The authority will provide further updates as more information becomes available.”

Authorities have since launched investigations to determine the cause of the fire, as emergency teams continue to monitor the situation to prevent further outbreaks.