Everyone on board a Southwest Airlines flight at Denver International Airport was evacuated after a cellphone battery ignited.
The incident happened on board Southwest Airlines Flight #WN3316 before 7 a.m. this Friday, November 15 2024 as the plane was getting ready to depart for the William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.
According to Southwest, the aircraft was still at the gate with 108 passengers on board when the fire started. The crew was able to extinguish a seat fire caused by the burning cellphone. The passenger who had the phone suffered burns and was treated by medical personnel.
During the evacuation, passengers in the back of the aircraft used the rear emergency slides to get out of the plane and those in the front exited through the front door. One passenger suffered minor injuries during the evacuation.
The FAA released this statement : Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin. Passengers should notify the flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.
Passengers were transferred on a new Boeing 737-700 (registration N429WN) which departed Denver at 09:31 MST, 3,5 hours late.
