Watch: Passengers evacuate in panic after their phone catches fire inside the plane

Last update:November 19, 2024, 1:49 p.m. IST

A Southwest Airlines flight at Denver International Airport was evacuated after a passenger’s phone battery caught fire.

A Southwest Airlines flight experienced chaos at Denver International Airport when a passenger’s cell phone battery caught fire, igniting a seat on the plane and prompting an emergency evacuation. The incident occurred Friday as Flight 3316, with 108 passengers on board, was preparing to take off for Houston, Texas.

A video posted by Daily Mail on Instagram showed the chaotic scene inside the plane as cabin crew ordered passengers to be urgently evacuated. “Get out, get out now” can be heard in the footage. Panicked passengers rushed to the exits. Despite instructions to leave their belongings behind, many were seen attempting to grab their luggage while rushing to safety.

According to eyewitnesses interviewed by CNN, the problems began when a passenger’s smartphone overheated. It began to emit thick smoke that filled the cabin with a strong, unpleasant odor. The situation worsened when the smoke caused a seat to catch fire.

“There’s nowhere to go because they were coming out the back of the plane. And so I was a little rushed. People were shouting: leave your stuff. But actually, I had two dogs with me and I wasn’t going to leave them,” Jaquetta Anderson, one of the passengers on the flight, told the New York Post.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told CNN that passengers were evacuated after the incident. Those at the front of the plane exited via the jet bridge while passengers at the rear used emergency slides to exit safely.

A passenger was slightly injured during the evacuation. The passenger whose phone caused the fire is treated for burns. The airline said crew members managed to put out the fire in the seat before it spread further.

The flight arrived at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport three hours later. The Federal Aviation Administration said the incident was still under investigation.

Last month, passengers at Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai, China, faced a frightening moment when smoke filled the jet bridge due to a fire from a faulty power bank. The incident occurred as passengers were crossing the bridge that connects the plane to the terminal. A passenger’s bag suddenly caught fire, but authorities quickly responded and extinguished the flames. No injuries were reported following the incident.