A United Airlines flight 2664 cabin caught fire from a laptop battery, post which the Newark-bound plane was forced to land back in San Diego on Tuesday. Four people have been rushed to the hospital after the incident, as per officials quoted by media outlets.
San Diego Fire Department (SDFD) in a tweet wrote, “SDFD crews at SD Intl Airport for a plane that came in w/ an external battery pack on fire in the cabin. Flight crew prevented the fire from spreading to the cabin. Two patients transported to hospital and more being evaluated.”
“SDFD evaluated all passengers and crew. Total of 4 patients transported. Two others opted not to be transported,” it added. According to Sabrina LoPiccolo, a spokeswoman for San Diego International Airport (SAN), emergency workers responded to the fire incident and are presently attending to passengers.
FlightAware data shows the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft departed the airport at 7:07 a.m. Pacific Time and returned to San Diego at 7:51 a.m. CNN was informed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official Ian Gregor that a laptop battery caused the fire. The FAA will look into it, Gregor said.
According to the airline, among those brought to the hospital are flight attendants who are credited with putting out the fire.
“Our crew acted quickly to contain the device and medical personnel met the aircraft upon arrival at the gate,” said United Airlines spokesperson Charles Hobart in a statement to CNN. “Several flight attendants were taken to the hospital as a precaution, and two customers were evaluated onsite.”
“We thank our crew for their quick actions in prioritizing the safety of everyone on board the aircraft and we are making arrangements to get our customers to their destinations,” Hobart added.
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