 "The American Airlines aircraft caught fire while parked at the Denver Airport. Image courtesy: Screengrab from X.com/@BNONeww")
An American Airlines plane caught fire while parked at a gate at Denver International Airport on Thursday (March 13), prompting the deployment of evacuation slides for passengers to leave quickly.
Video footage widely shared on social media showed billowing smoke around the jet on the ground near the terminals and passengers standing on a wing as emergency services arrived. A photo shared by CBS News showed passengers standing on the wing of the aircraft as smoke enveloped it.
An airport spokesperson informed multiple news outlets that the fire began in the afternoon while the plane was at gate C38. The plane was reportedly en route from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth when it was diverted to Denver.
According to statements from the airline and the US Federal Aviation Administration reported by local media, the flight was diverted to Denver after experiencing engine trouble.
“The 172 customers and six crew members deplaned and are being relocated to the terminal,” American Airlines said, in a statement published by Denver broadcaster KDVR.
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More ShortsNo injuries were reported, and firefighters extinguished the blaze by evening, according to the spokesperson.
With inputs from AFP