A laptop sparked a small fire on an American Airlines flight last Friday before the plane had even left the gate in San Francisco. The crew attempted a calm evacuation of the Airbus A321 as the cabin filled with smoke, but the situation quickly erupted into chaos as passengers pushed and shoved their way to the exits. One passenger took decisive action, throwing the burning laptop onto the tarmac.
The fire began when a laptop inside a bag stowed beneath a seat suddenly ignited. Oliver Jankai, the passenger sitting in that seat, described smelling something burning just before the blaze started. The evacuation became a stampede as passengers ignored crew instructions not to take their belongings, leading to panic and further crowding at the exits.
As smoke filled the back of the cabin, Jankai searched for a fire extinguisher but couldn’t locate one. His son, Jan, opened an emergency exit to bring in fresh air. Jankai then took the burning bag and threw it out of the Airbus. He recounted the incident, saying, “It was still a little bit on fire, so we tried to step it out. [I] tried to throw it out. [A flight crewmember] said ‘No, don’t throw it out.’ My son dropped it, and then I said ‘No, okay.’ And then, I shot it out of the plane.”
All passengers on the American Airlines flight to Miami were rescheduled to another flight the following day. Thankfully, no one was injured despite the chaotic evacuation. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of a well-executed evacuation, where swift and organized actions can make all the difference.