ROME – The aftermath of the blaze at Leonardo da Vinci Airport, which left approximately 20,000 people stranded, was still being felt at the capital’s main airport as only half of scheduled flights were set to go ahead on Friday, airport sources said.

Authorities are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the blaze, although officials say that the possibility of arson has already been ruled out. Head of the air transport authority ENAC Vito Riggio has speculated that the fire “could have been sparked by a short circuit.” It is currently believed that the fire broke out in a kitchen; a witness stated that it began behind a refrigerator, according to deputy police chief Antonio Del Greco.

The fire, which was discovered just after midnight local time on Thursday, destroyed 1000 square metres of the Fiumicino’s Terminal 3 and took seven hours to extinguish. The airport was closed until 2pm that day.

Although a number of airline desks are now open as usual in the terminal, the smell left behind by the smoke remains pungent, according to ANSA. It expected to be several days before operations at the airport return to normal.