A laptop caught on fire left three passengers injured Friday after American Airlines passengers evacuated in panic, New York Post reported.
An American Airlines flight at San Francisco International Airport was evacuated, resulting in minor injuries to three passengers, after smoke from a laptop filled the cabin. The incident occurred around 12:15 p.m. as passengers were boarding the Miami-bound Airbus A321 at the gate, according to the New York Post.
Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines reported the source of the smoke was a laptop in a passenger’s bag. In response, crew members quickly removed the bag and passengers exited the aircraft using emergency slides, the outlet reported. A passenger recounted the scene to KRON4.
Smoking laptop causes panicked evacuation of American Airlines plane at San Francisco airport https://t.co/HjYncEhLT2 pic.twitter.com/basp1yvuZu
— New York Post (@nypost) July 12, 2024
“It was desperate until someone opened the middle door and we were able to escape as we were all blocked in the hallway. Some people [were] slightly injured,” one passenger told KRON4.
The San Francisco Fire Department was called to the scene to extinguish the smoking laptop. According to both SFFD and American Airlines, three passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation with one being transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. The specific nature of the injuries was not immediately disclosed, New York Post reported. (RELATED: Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Passenger Exposes Himself, Urinates In Aisle)
Following the incident, passengers were transported back to the terminal and American Airlines issued an apology for the inconvenience, according to the New York Post. The FAA initiated an investigation to further understand the cause of the incident.
