The city of San Jose hosted a virtual groundbreaking Monday to announce the new Fire Station 20 at Mineta San Jose International Airport.
The new station replaces the existing fire station built in 1963, which served the airport for nearly 60 years.
With new major developments in North San Jose as well as record-high passenger traffic in the airport, the station needed to be upgraded to a state-of-the-art facility, according to city officials. Station 20 will be a hybrid station, able to put out plane fires and serve the airport as well as the surrounding area's residents and businesses.
"This will protect the 16 million people that travel through the airport and are in and around the airfield," San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien said in the virtual groundbreaking. "Additionally, the ability to respond outside of the airport will support very busy areas of town, for example, the downtown core and freeway areas as well."