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More than 100 Southwest passengers forced to evacuate plane at DIA after cell phone catches fire

Earns Southwest
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DENVER — Passengers aboard a Southwest flight in Denver were forced to evacuate their plane early Friday morning after a cell phone caught fire in the cabin.

The incident happened at around 7 a.m. Friday inside Southwest Airlines Flight 3316, which was still at the gate at Denver International Airport when the fire started, according to a spokesperson with Southwest Airlines.

All 108 passengers aboard the Boeing 373 aircraft evacuated safely, with those in the back using the rear emergency slides, while those in the front exited through the front by the jet bridge, the spokesperson said.

“Preliminary reports indicate one passenger reported a minor injury during evacuation and the passenger whose phone caught fire is being treated by local authorities for burns,” a statement from the airline reads.

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The crew was able to extinguish a seat fire caused by the burning cell phone, the spokesperson added.

Southwest’s Customer Care Team was working to accommodate the passengers on another aircraft to William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.

The fire is now under investigation by the FAA.


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