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Airplane at the gate. Public Domain License https://www.pickpik.com/boarding-airplanes-san-francisco-sfo-airport-aero-airport-79288
17 Jul 2024

Smoke from burning laptop forced San Francisco passenger plane to evacuate

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San Francisco International Airport American Airlines flight was evacuated after a passenger's bag containing a laptop began emitting smoke, as reported by several international media. 

On Friday afternoon July 12, an American Airlines flight at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was evacuated after smoke was detected from a laptop inside a passenger's bag, according to a statement from American Airlines to SFGATE.

Flight 2045, which was taxiing to the gate for its departure to Miami, encountered the issue, SFO reported on social media. 

Crew members quickly removed the smoking bag, leading to the plane's evacuation.

The San Francisco Fire Department responded to the scene just after noon and extinguished the “smoke source,” Capt. Jonathan Baxter, a spokesperson for the department, told SFGATE, according to FireEngineering.com. 

The airline said some passengers deplaned through the emergency slides and some used the jet bridge.

Three people sustained minor injuries during the evacuation, according to SFO and the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD). However, American Airlines confirmed only one minor injury. 

Passengers evacuated using both emergency slides and the jet bridge, according to the airline. The San Francisco Fire Department, responding shortly after noon, extinguished the smoke source, according to Capt. Jonathan Baxter, an SFFD spokesperson. 

One individual required medical transport, per SFFD.

The incident was resolved, but fire crews remain on the scene. Further details on the injuries were not provided by the fire department.

 

Photo Credit: Airplanes boarding at San Francisco airport. The photo is a generic  Public Domain Licence. The planes in the photo were not involved in this incident.