--- title: "Parking Garage Fire at Newark Liberty Airport Burns 17 Cars to a Crisp" description: "One man has been arrested but, weirdly, not for his connection to the fire." date: "2019-01-31" modified: "2019-01-31" authors: - name: "Chris Tsui" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-tsui" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/26277/parking-garage-fire-at-newark-liberty-airport-burns-17-cars-to-a-crisp" categories: - "News" tags: - "airport" - "car fire" - "New Jersey" --- # Parking Garage Fire at Newark Liberty Airport Burns 17 Cars to a Crisp ![]() *\www.thedrive.com* Anybody in the northeast who's ventured outside in the past few days will have been wanting for a little heat but this seems like overkill. A massive fire laid waste to a total of 17 cars on a Newark Liberty International Airport parking structure on Thursday morning, reports [*NBC New York*](). No injuries have been reported and airport operations remain unaffected, per the Port Authority. According to police, 15 of the burnt vehicles were totaled and while the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, it is suspected to be caused by one of the now-charred cars. https://youtube.com/embed/PbPkhdE-CEY That vehicle's owner was reportedly arrested when he heard about the fire and headed from the airport to his parked vehicle to check it out. Curiously, the unnamed man was not charged for his connection to the fire but for outstanding traffic warrants as well as a suspended driver's license. The man also reportedly told police a few weeks ago that he was working on the vehicle's alternator. It is now being investigated as a possible cause of the fire. As a result of the inferno, EWR's Terminal C parking garage and the nearby passenger pickup area were temporarily closed with the latter being since reopened. Newark Airport told those with cars parked in the affected garage to head to the Terminal C Level 1 taxi stand for further assistance via Twitter. https://twitter.com/_/status/1091034451549667329 The thick, black smoke coming from the fire could be seen from miles away as evidenced by posts from passersby and other news outlets on social media. https://twitter.com/_/status/1090946544474509312 https://twitter.com/_/status/1091041018986795010 https://twitter.com/_/status/1091033515590860801 https://twitter.com/_/status/1090995285415903234 ## Author Chris Tsui is *The Drive*'s former Reviews Editor and current freelance automotive journalist. He's based in Toronto. ### Author social links [Instagram]()