Fire Erupts During American Airlines Flight in San Francisco

An American Airlines flight preparing to take off from San Francisco International Airport was promptly evacuated after a small fire erupted and started filling the passenger cabin with burning, toxic smoke. The small fire was contained within a small laptop, caused by the laptop’s battery, in a passenger’s bag underneath their seat.

A passenger reported a strong, growing smell of burning cables and then caught a look at the source of the fire underneath the seat of his father. The father and son proceeded to unbuckle themselves and head to the emergency exit; meanwhile, the father ended up throwing the laptop outside of the plane via the emergency exit door.

Following those events, passengers were safely evacuated from a combination of the jet bridge and the emergency slides connected to the airplane.

The San Francisco Fire Department arrived on the scene and confirmed that the fire was due to the laptop’s battery, and it was extinguished before firefighters arrived. The incident occurred while the Airbus A321 was preparing to depart for Miami, Florida.

Furthermore, according to their official newsroom, American Airlines Group will share its second-quarter 2024 financial results via a live webcast conference call on Thursday, July 25, at 7:30 a.m. CT. The live audio feed-only version will be available to the public at aa.com/investorrelations, with an archive accessible until Aug. 25.