DENVER (KDVR) — Twelve people were taken to hospitals after an American Airlines plane landed at Denver International Airport on Thursday and caught fire, prompting slides to be deployed so passengers could evacuate quickly.
All of the people transported to hospitals had minor injuries, according to a post on the social platform X by Denver International Airport.
The flight took off from the Colorado Springs Airport and was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, but was diverted to Denver. The plane used for the flight was a Boeing 737-800, according to American Airlines.
According to recordings of the air traffic control conversation, a pilot on the plane sensed high engine vibrations, and told air traffic control they were cruising “slower than normal.”
While taxiing to the gate, an engine on the Boeing 737-800 caught fire, the FAA added.
Photos and videos posted by news outlets showed passengers standing on a plane’s wing as smoke surrounded the aircraft. The FAA said passengers exited using the slides.
American said in a statement that the flight experienced an engine-related issue after taxiing to the gate.
American Airlines provided a statement to Nexstar’s KDVR saying:
“After landing safely and taxiing to the gate at Denver International Airport (DEN), American Airlines Flight 1006 experienced an engine-related issue. The 172 customers and six crew members deplaned and are being relocated to the terminal. We thank our crew members, DEN team and first responders for their quick and decisive action with the safety of everyone on board and on the ground as the priority.”
Firefighters put out the blaze by the evening, an airport spokesperson told media outlets.
There was no immediate clarification on exactly when the plane caught fire. The FAA said it will investigate.
The country has seen a recent spate of aviation disasters and close calls stoking fears about air travel, though flying remains a very safe mode of transport.
Recent on-the-ground incidents have included a plane that crashed and flipped over upon landing in Toronto and a Japan Airlines plane that clipped a parked Delta plane while it was taxiing at the Seattle airport.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.