A British Airways Boeing 777 aircraft bound for London caught fire as it was preparing to take off from Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. The aircraft, which was carrying 159 passengers and 13 crew on board, was successfully evacuated.
According to the pilot of the 275-seat aircraft, the fire erupted as a result of a "catastrophic failure" of the left engine. The aircraft could be seen on the runway with smoke and flames surrounding the fuselage. The fire was eventually put out quickly by nearly fifty firefighters that had been dispatched to the scene.
The US Federal Aviation Administration reported that the left engine of the Boeing 777 aircraft burst into flames and that passengers were evacuated using the aircraft's inflatable slides. The pilot had already made the decision to abort the take-off shortly before the fire began.
Passengers on board the aircraft described a lot of panic on board as smoke swept through the cabin as the rear aircraft door was opened. Some passengers also reported windows being melted by the fire.
The pilot of flight, BA2276, debriefed the passengers that had been evacuated to the airport terminal, where he was met with applause. Early reports suggest that only two people were treated for minor injuries.
It took emergency personnel just five minutes to extinguish the fire from the time that the first emergency call was made. One runway had to be taken out of service. However, the airport continued to operate normally utilizing the airport's three other runways.
Thnx God everyone made it out safe...kudos to the crew and fire services! God forbid, is NAIA prepared for this catastrophic event?
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