(Bloomberg) — British Airways passengers fled a Boeing Co. jetliner after the London-bound plane caught fire while beginning its takeoff from Las Vegas airport, spewing flames and clouds of black smoke from one of its engines.
The successful evacuation of all 157 passengers and 13 crew from the twin-aisle 777-200 Tuesday contrasted with dramatic social-media imagery from the incident. While firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control, areas of the jet's fuselage were singed black by the heat. British Airways reported that eight passengers were taken to the hospital.
BA flight 2276 to London Gatwick Airport "experienced a left engine fire on takeoff," U.S. Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said by e-mail. The departure was aborted before the plane left the runway.
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