Newark airport closed after jet catches fire

Monday, 25 May, 2017 0

Newark Liberty International Airport was temporarily closed late on Tuesday night after a United Airlines jet was evacuated.

Flight 1579 was on a taxiway about to take off for San Francisco when air traffic controllers spotted flames enitting from an engine.

That sparked a full evacuation via emergency chutes for all 131 people onboard.

Airline spokesman Jonathan Guerin said five passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation.

The fire was first spotted from the tower, Guerin said.

The FAA said it is investigating the incident.

The airport was closed for less than two hours.

 Passenger Lo Toney descibed the scene as ‘controlled chaos’.

"The flight attendants were like: ‘Get off the plane, get off the plane.’"

Fellow passenger Lila Ibrahim added: "Everyone was very shaken and emotional at first when we were all out on the tarmac but once we got in the lounge, you saw a lot of camaraderie."

All passengers were put on later flights to San Francisco.



 

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Lisa

Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.



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