More than 100 passengers were forced to evacuate a Southwest Airlines flight in Denver after a mobile phone battery burst into flames, causing a seat to catch fire.
The incident happened last Friday, just as the flight was preparing to leave for Houston from Denver International Airport.
All 108 passengers aboard the Boeing 737-700 were ordered to evacuate the aircraft after a battery ignited while the plane was still at the gate.
Passengers seated in the rear of the aircraft evacuated using emergency slides, whilst those in the front exited through the front door via the jet bridge.
The phone burst into flames as the Southwest flight sat on the tarmac
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As travellers scrambled to leave the cabin, crew members successfully extinguished the fire – which, by that point, had spread to one of the plane’s seats.
According to Southwest Airlines, one passenger sustained a minor injury during the evacuation process.
The passenger whose phone caught fire was being treated for burns, the airline confirmed in its statement.
Video footage captured the chaotic scenes as passengers scrambled to evacuate, with screams of “Evacuate! Evacuate now!” heard in the background.
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Southwest Airlines said it eventually ‘accommodated the passengers on another aircraft to their original destination’
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Some passengers attempted to retrieve their bags from overhead lockers, blocking the aisle and prompting others to shout “leave your stuff, get out!”
Passenger Seth Anderson told American outlet CBS: “It must have been burning pretty rapidly, because there was a pause, and then there was again ‘Fire! Fire!’
“And then, all of a sudden, everybody just started getting up, and that’s when all the panicking started on the plane,” he added.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there have been 504 verified incidents involving lithium batteries causing smoke, fire or extreme heat on flights since 2006.
The incident remains under investigation by both Southwest Airlines and the FAA
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The FAA’s data shows 32 incidents have occurred so far in 2024, with most cases involving chargeable battery packs.
Only 68 incidents have involved mobile phones, whilst 104 were related to vapes and e-cigarettes.
The FAA said on social media that lithium ion-powered devices are safest when carried in the aircraft cabin, as “crew are trained to quickly address events of smoke and fire.”
Southwest Airlines said it “accommodated the passengers on another aircraft to their original destination” of Houston following the incident.
A spokesman for the airline said: “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees.”
The airline confirmed they have “been in contact with the customers on the flight” since the evacuation.
The incident remains under investigation by both Southwest Airlines and the FAA.