HOUSTON — Passengers on board a Southwest Airlines flight had to be evacuated from a plane after a cellphone battery caught fire Friday morning at Denver International Airport.
According to a spokesperson for Southwest Airlines, all 108 passengers on board Flight 3316, which was bound for Hobby Airport in Houston, were safely evacuated while the plane was still at the gate.
Airline officials said passengers in the back of the plane used the emergency slides to evacuate while those in the front evacuated through the front door.
The crew extinguished the seat fire caused by the battery.
One person suffered a minor injury during the evacuation, while another, whose phone was the source of the fire, was treated for burns, airline officials said.
Southwest said their Care Team is working to accommodate the passengers on another aircraft to their original destination of Houston.
The incident remains under investigation.
The Federal Aviation Administration released the following statement on the incident:
This information is preliminary and subject to change.
“Passengers evacuated Southwest Airlines Flight 3316 while it was parked at the gate at Denver International Airport around 7 a.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 15, after the crew reported a cell phone caught on fire. Passengers in the front half of the plane exited through the jet bridge. Passengers in the rear half of the plane exited using slides. The Boeing 737 was headed to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. The FAA will investigate. Contact the airline for additional information.”
