A British Airways plane in Las Vegas caught fire just before it departed bound for London.
According to bbc.com, British Airways has released an official statement saying that the plane "experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off." The pilot had called out distress signals when the fire started from the plane's engine. He said, "Speedbird Mayday, Mayday. Speedbird 2276 request fire services. Speedbird 2276 heavy, we are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire, repeat, we are evacuating."
Jacob Steinberg of 'The Guardian' said that the pilot informed the passengers that the cause of the incident was "catastrophic failure of the engine." He also added, "We looked out the window and for the first time saw smoke near the wing. We could smell it. It was like burning rubber - bitter and deeply unpleasant - and it was time to panic."
According to reuters.com, different videos and photographs were taken showing fire and thick black smoke engulfing the Boeing Co 77 at McCarran International Airport. The British Airways spokeswoman said, "Our crew evacuated the aircraft safely and the fire was quickly extinguished by the emergency services at the airport." They also said that safety is their top priority and they're providing hotel accommodations for their affected passengers.
Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's Pacific Division, said that "the plane's left engine burst into flames on takeoff." The plane was also carrying 159 passengers and a crew with 13 personnel and was bound for Gatwick in London.
A spokesperson of Rolls Royce told Reuters that involved plane's engine was not made by Rolls Royce. The British Airways is known to be using engines made by Rolls Royce and General Electric.
Most of the passengers' injuries were caught while sliding down the inflatable chutes during evacuation. The incident also caused delayed flights across western United States.
