06 Sep South Africa’s biggest airport closes a runway after grass fire

Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport has been forced to close one of its runways after a nearby grass fire.

It announced the closure via its Twitter, writing that the dry grass caught fire and “spilled over from the adjacent community within the airport precinct”.

Fire and rescue teams attended the scene to extinguish the blaze, according to OR Tambo. The airport is considered the busiest airport in Africa.

The runway that has been closed is typically used for landings because it’s long, at more than 4.4 kilometers (2.7 miles), which helps planes land in the thinner air at Johannesburg’s relatively high altitude.