A fire broke out Tuesday on an outbound British Airways flight at the Las Vegas airport, leading 14 people to be transported for medical care for what a fire official called “minor injuries.”
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.
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.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft’s left engine caught fire, prompting the crew to abort the takeoff.
The flight had 159 passengers and 13 crew members aboard.
[CNN]
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