14 Passengers Suffer From Minor Injuries After British Airways Jet Catches Fire At Las Vegas Airport
Fourteen people were taken to the hospital due to minor injuries after a British Airways plane caught fire at the Las Vegas airport on Tuesday. The London-bound Boeing 777, had 157 passengers and 13 crews onboard.
According to a report by The Guardian on Wednesday, the left engine caught fire while preparing to take off - an incident the pilot described as a "catastrophic failure," .
"All passengers were evacuated quickly and safely and taken by bus to the terminal," said an airport spokesperson.
Some 50 firefighters immediately came to the rescue, putting out the fire promptly.
"We cannot express enough gratitude to the emergency response crews, as well as the British Airways crew."
A CNN article on Wednesday stated that Jay Jennings, one of the passengers, heard a heavy sound when the plane was about to take off and called the experience "pretty scary stuff."
"Just saw flames on the engine," he added.
Jennings said that the captain requested everyone to evacuate the plane right away, adding that the flight attendants led them to safely.
Guardian reporter Jacob Steinberg was also onboard when the incident took place. He tweeted, "Just evacuated on a British Airways flight at Las Vegas airport after an engine caught fire. Don't think anyone hurt."
"Was asleep as the plane took off. Came to a crashing halt. Smell of smoke. Initially told to stay seated, then shout of evacuate. Could smell and see smoke but was on other side of plane. One person said fire melted a couple of windows."
Steinberg goes on, "They opened the back door and slide went down and smoke started coming in plane, followed by mad dash to front. A lot of panic."
Meanwhile, British Airways released a statementd about the incident, explaining that the jet "experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off." They also gave the passengers apology letters saying, "We do not underestimate how distressing the experience has been for you and we have a dedicated team here to help you."
"Once the authorities have completed their interviews, we'll take you to meet your friends and relatives ... We will make all the arrangements to get you to where you need to be."
