February 11, 2006	Saturday	Muharram 12, 1427

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RAWALPINDI, Feb 10: Islamabad International Airport was closed for about one hour on Friday after grass near one of the runways caught fire, eye-witnesses and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officials said.

Runway 12 situated west of the airport was closed by the CAA at 4.15 pm and an Aero Asia flight from Karachi, which was about to touch down, was diverted to Lahore. Similarly, the departure of Paris-bound flight (PK-733) was also delayed.

A Civil Aviation official said that the fire broke out at the end of the runway at 4.15 pm and spread to a vast area within no time due to the strong winds.

“The airport was closed for one hour due to the fire. However, there was no loss of human life or property,” the official said. The fire was brought under control after two hours.

Around 100 firefighters from the PAF, CAA, Islamabad and Rawalpindi fire stations and emergency workers were called to put off the fire, officials said.

According to the fire department and CAA, the fire might have been caused by a cigarette thrown by some passers-by. An investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the fire.