An American Airlines jetliner about to depart from San Francisco International Airport for Miami was forced to be evacuated on Friday after the cabin filled with smoke from a laptop computer, according to an American Airlines official.
Officials said three people suffered minor injuries in the crash and one passenger required transport for treatment.
Kepix
American Airlines Flight 2045, from San Francisco International Airport to Miami, was scheduled to depart just after 12:00 p.m., according to online flight records. As the Airbus A321 was leaving the gate, multiple reports on social media said smoke filled the cabin, forcing an emergency evacuation.
American Airlines later confirmed that crew members reported a fire in the rear of the plane when they sent out a distress call, and that the smoke was coming from a laptop in a passenger’s bag, according to an airline official.
“The bag was quickly removed by our crew and all passengers deplaned,” the airline said in a statement. “We thank the crew for their professionalism and apologise to passengers for the inconvenience caused.”
SFO’s Doug Yakel confirmed that the San Francisco Fire Department responded to the incident and that passengers on board the plane used emergency chutes to get off the jet and onto the ground, while American Airlines later said other passengers left the plane via a boarding bridge.
“As American Airlines Flight 2045 from Miami taxied to the gate, the crew reported smoke in the cabin. The aircraft was evacuated and the San Francisco Fire Department responded to the source of the smoke,” Yakel said in a statement. “Passenger are being transported to the terminal. Three minor injuries were reported during the evacuation, none of whom required medical evacuation.”
Yakel later confirmed that contrary to initial reports, the flight had departed from San Francisco International Airport for Miami, and that one of the three injured passengers required evacuation for treatment.
Posts on social media illustrated the panic felt by some passengers.
“We were all trapped in the hallway and it was hopeless until someone opened the middle door and we were able to escape. Some of us suffered minor injuries,” one of the evacuees tweeted via X.
Another passenger tweeted: “There was a minor riot. People rushing for the doors yelling ‘Fire in the back!'”
“It’s just a horrible story. I can’t even imagine it. I’m just glad they were on the ground when it happened. If they had been in the air they would have panicked and not realized what was going on and it could have been tragic,” said Sharon Streets, an American Airlines passenger who was waiting to board.
She and her co-worker, Terri Downey-Friman, said they were glad no one was seriously injured.
“I can’t believe something like this happened. I don’t want this to happen on my plane,” Downey-Flyman said. “I’ve never thought about it like that. Of course I have a laptop. I use it all the time so I thought it was safe. But sometimes my laptop gets hot.”
They said that after this incident, they will be extra careful with laptops they carry in their bags.
“Nobody thinks about that, they don’t even put it on sleep mode, they just close it every now and then. [It’s a] “This is something new that we need to pay attention to,” Streets said.
At last check, the flight had been postponed to depart San Francisco International Airport at 11:15 p.m. Friday night, about 11 hours after the evacuation.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident.
Da Lin contributed to this story.
