A laptop fire prompted the evacuation of an American Airlines A321 in San Francisco, in which three passengers were injured.
Laptop Fire Forces Evacuation On American Airlines A321 At SFO
Toward the end of the boarding process on American Airlines flight 2045 from San Francisco (SFO) to Miami (MIA), a lithium-ion laptop battery caught fire. The laptop was in a bag, but smoke poured through the bag to the extent that one passenger described a frenzied scene onboard:
“Looked to the back of the plane and saw soooo much smoke and people screaming.”
https://twitter.com/imdatgirlxo/status/1811867772659642503
The flight was evacuated via emergency exit slides and unfortunately, three passengers sustained mild injuries during the evacuation. All were examined by medical professionals and are okay.
American Airlines did not offer further details, but confirmed there was a smoking bag:
“During boarding of American Airlines flight 2045 with service from San Francisco (SFO) to Miami (MIA), smoke was reported from inside a customer’s bag. The bag was quickly removed by our crew members and all customers exited the aircraft. We thank our crew members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”
The San Francisco Fire Department (SFPD) boarded the aircraft, retrieved the smoking bag, and submerged it in water on the tarmac, extinguishing the fire.
Of course that did not stop local news helicopters from circling overhead:
RIGHT NOW: An American Airlines flight was evacuated and three people were injured after a reported cabin fire at San Francisco International Airport on Friday, officials said. @abc7newsbayarea #ABC7NewsBayArea #AA2045 @flySFO pic.twitter.com/oB3FueLLbV
— Suzanne Phan (@SuzannePhan) July 12, 2024
Meanwhile, passengers were guided back inside the terminal. The flight departed 11 hours late:
View From The Wing points out that had this happened in the air, flight attendants are provisioned with special gloves and a fire kit to safely dispose of the laptop. Laptop fires are rare, but airlines are prepared. The problem here was not the fire but the evacuation…
Image: @imdatgirlxo/X // Hat Tip: View From The Wing
Laptops are evil junk dreamed up by money-hunting techies . They are an instant source of junk propaganda for the fixated and humourless .
And those batteries are a menace to aircraft . No laptops ought to be allowed in airport terminals , train stations , nor automobiles .
This is hardly an official source, but according to the passenger himself this was not a FA initiated evacuation and he opened the door himself against the FAs orders.
See this video https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRETMHCE/
Seems like the doors weren’t armed. Not sure what’s worse, opening an unarmed door with no slide risking falling or the slide deploying on top of unsuspecting ground crew below…not to mention him throwing a burning item down to the ramp!
Yes, I noticed Ben’s coverage too this morning.
I’ll wait for more facts to emerge and then update the post on Monday.
Why the screaming and hysteria?