More than 160 people bailed out of a JetBlue flight at JFK airport in New York City on Christmas Eve, after a fire linked to a laptop onboard.
Fire officials say they were called to evacuate the plane on Saturday night shortly after it landed on a trip in from Barbados. A total of 167 people were evacuated from the plane and seven people suffered minor injuries, fire officials told Fox 5 New York.
JetBlue told CNN in a statement that the incident was due to a “customer’s malfunctioning electronic device or battery.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News that the problem was due to a “smoking laptop in the cabin after landing.”
Witness Sean Weed, who was sitting in the first row, told CBS New York that someone yelled “Fire!” and the captain leaped into action.
“He grabbed a fire extinguisher and was doing like an OJ Simpson over the seats and passengers,” Weed said.
We’re assuming that’s a football reference and not a nod to OJ’s infamous Bronco-driving skills.
“The guy was amazing and put the fire out,” Weed added. “It was a complete zoo.”
The Fire Department of New York says many of the passengers were evacuated via emergency slides at the airport.
“Safety is always our number one priority,” JetBlue’s spokesperson told various outlets in a statement.
The airline, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.
The FAA has been keeping an eye on the potential dangers of lithium batteries like the kinds found in laptops, cellphones and vaping devices.
One FAA report published last February listed 354 incidents involving lithium batteries dating back to early 2006. The list includes incidents when the batteries caused smoke, fire or an explosion. However, the batteries have not been banned from flights at this point.
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