A British Airways flight caught fire on the runway at the Las Vegas airport Tuesday, sending 13 people to local hospitals for treatment.
A majority of the injuries came as passengers slid down the inflatable chutes to evacuate the Boeing 777, Clark County Fire Department Deputy Chief Jon Klassen said.
The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) and involved British Airways Flight 2276, which was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, according to the McCarran International Airport's Twitter feed
'Not safe, not safe'
Passenger Jay Jennings, who was one of the injured, said it was "pretty scary stuff."
The plane was getting ready to take off, he said, when he heard a big thud. He lifted the window shade and saw the trouble.
"Just saw flames on the engine," he said.
The plane stopped and sat for what felt like a minute, he said. Then the captain came on the intercom and told the passengers there was an emergency and they needed to evacuate.
When one of the emergency doors opened, smoke poured in. "Not safe, not safe," someone said, Jennings recalled.
Flight attendants directed passengers to safety, he said.
"A few have cuts and bruises from the slide down. They've been bandaged up," he said on Twitter. "One young woman was taken away by paramedics, but looked OK."
"At that time, we saw droves of people jumping out of a slide and running across the runway away from the plane," he said
"Safety is always our priority," British Airways spokeswoman Caroline Titmuss said. "We are looking after customers after an incident involving Flight BA2276."
CNN aviation analyst and 777 captain Les Abend said pilots pull a "fire handle" under such circumstances. It deploys fire retardant to the specified area, cuts the hydraulics and electrical systems to the engine and shuts off the air system in the cabin.
A majority of the injuries came as passengers slid down the inflatable chutes to evacuate the Boeing 777, Clark County Fire Department Deputy Chief Jon Klassen said.
The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. (7 p.m. ET) and involved British Airways Flight 2276, which was bound for London's Gatwick Airport, according to the McCarran International Airport's Twitter feed
'Not safe, not safe'
Passenger Jay Jennings, who was one of the injured, said it was "pretty scary stuff."
The plane was getting ready to take off, he said, when he heard a big thud. He lifted the window shade and saw the trouble.
"Just saw flames on the engine," he said.
The plane stopped and sat for what felt like a minute, he said. Then the captain came on the intercom and told the passengers there was an emergency and they needed to evacuate.
When one of the emergency doors opened, smoke poured in. "Not safe, not safe," someone said, Jennings recalled.
Flight attendants directed passengers to safety, he said.
"A few have cuts and bruises from the slide down. They've been bandaged up," he said on Twitter. "One young woman was taken away by paramedics, but looked OK."
"At that time, we saw droves of people jumping out of a slide and running across the runway away from the plane," he said
CNN aviation analyst and 777 captain Les Abend said pilots pull a "fire handle" under such circumstances. It deploys fire retardant to the specified area, cuts the hydraulics and electrical systems to the engine and shuts off the air system in the cabin.
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---CNN
