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Southwest evacuates plane after passenger's phone — and seat — goes up in flames (video) [1]

['Carla Sinclair']

Date: 2024-11-19

A Southwest flight was about to take off from Denver International Airport on Friday when a passenger's phone battery went up in flames — along with their seat.

"Fire! Fire!" someone shouted, according to The Independent via CBS, as 108 panicked passengers scrambled to get off the plane.

Crew members quickly mobilized to help passengers safely exit, with those in the rear seats evacuating via emergency slides, while the front of the plane left through the aircraft's front door. (See video below, posted by KHOU.)

From The Independent:

Preliminary reports show that one passenger sustained a minor injury during the evacuation and the passenger whose phone caught on fire was being treated for burns, the airline said in their statement. Crew members were able to extinguish the fire that had ignited on the seat. "It must have been burning pretty rapidly, because there was a pause, and then there was again 'Fire! Fire!'" passenger Seth Anderson told CBS. "And then all of a sudden everybody just started getting up, and that's when all the panicking started on the plane."

Battery fires that start on planes happen more than you might think, with more than one flare-up a week, according to Forbes. Crew members are usually able to extinguish them without injuries or major disruptions, and fortunately, the Southwest phone and seat fire occurred while the plane was still on the ground.

A Southwest flight bound for Hobby Airport evacuated due to battery fire. Video from passengers shows them using the emergency slide. Details: https://t.co/16Rmv398QI pic.twitter.com/7r7kpzidPv — KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) November 15, 2024

Previously: Battery catches fire on United flight, causing plane to make emergency landing in San Diego



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