A fire in the cabin of an American Airlines plane bound for Miami forced the evacuation of passengers before they had even taken off from San Francisco International Airport.
Flight 2045 was supposed to depart at 12:15 pm (local time) bound for the city in Florida, but moments before, when the plane was already taxiing, the crew reported there was smoke in the cabin.
Later on, the airline reported that the smoke was coming from a laptop with a lithium-ion battery inside a passenger's bag. Crew members removed the briefcase and evacuated the passengers.
"The suitcase was quickly removed by our crew members, and all customers exited the plane. We thank our crew members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," American Airlines said in a statement.
Some passengers exited the plane using the emergency slides, while others used the access bridge.
The plane is a 2015 model with a V2533-A5 turbo-fan engine.
According to the San Francisco Fire Department, three people suffered minor injuries, and none required hospitalization.
The passengers were transported to Terminal 3 after being evacuated. The flight was scheduled to arrive in Miami shortly before 9:00 pm on Friday, but it did not.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States announced an investigation into the incident.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), overheating can cause fires in lithium batteries, and even explosions, when they are damaged or used, charged, or stored incorrectly.
NFPA recommends disconnecting a battery once it is fully charged, using compatible equipment, stopping use of a battery if it is damaged, emits an unusual odor, produces excessive heat, makes explosion sounds, swells, or changes color.
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