Fourteen people were injured on Tuesday when British Airways passenger jet caught fire just before it was about to depart Las Vegas, reported Fox 5 News.
McCarran Airport said flight 227, a Boeing 777, was preparing to depart Las Vegas for London’s Gatwick Airport when its left engine caught fire shortly after 4 p.m. On board were 159 passengers and 13 crew members. All passengers had disembarked the aircraft by 4:18 p.m., according to Clark County Fire Department.
At least 14 people were treated for injuries that occurred as passengers slid down the evacuation slides, while previous reports indicated only two people were transported to the hospital. Authorities did not immediately say what caused the fire.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating. Witness Paul Berberian expressed his admiration to CNN on how quickly the crisis was handled. “It was like seconds, it was incredibly efficient,” Berberian told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “As soon as the slides popped, five seconds later people were just flying down … and running away. “One of the runways at McCarran Airport was closed temporarily while other runways continued to run regularly, according to McCarran.
