Passengers on American Airlines flights were evacuated to the runway at a Colorado airport as a plane fire broke out and smoke swirled into the air.
Evacuation footage showed passengers leaning against the wings of the Boeing Airliner. Some have bags and flames burning near the bottom of the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said passengers will use inflatable slides to safely reach the ground at Denver International Airport. The agency said it would investigate the cause of the incident.
The airport later confirmed that 12 people were taken to hospital for minor injuries, but no reports of serious injuries were reported.
The flight took off from nearby Colorado Springs and was on its way to Dallas, Fort Worth International Airport in Texas, the FAA said in a statement to the BBC.
The plane detoured to Denver around 17:15 local time (23:15 GMT), the FAA said, after crews reported “engine vibrations.”
After the plane landed, the fire started while guiding it to the airport runway.
American Airlines said the plane had 172 passengers along with six crew members. Everything was evacuated safely, the company said.
The plane was a Boeing 737-800 and added that it had experienced “engine-related issues.”
Smoke and flames were visible from various gates at the airport, according to airport spokesman Michael Konopasek. He said the fire was sucked in and did not lead to delays on other flights.
Some people inside the airport posted videos on social media showing plane passengers walking towards the edge of their wings as big clouds of black smoke fill the air.
The ground crew can be seen pushing the ladder and rushing to the wings.
The video shows a flame under the right engine of the plane as an inflatable evacuation slide appears on the rear door of the aircraft.
The evacuation comes after a recent series of prominent incidents in North America that have concerns about aviation safety.
A fatal crash in Washington, DC killed 67 people when an American Airlines regional jet collided with a US Black Hawk helicopter into the air. The crash in the US capital led to questions about the shortage of air traffic controllers and their workload.
US President Donald Trump's administration has fired hundreds of FAA probation workers as part of the government's cost-cutting efforts.
The layoffs came weeks after the fatal DC crash.
The relaxed FAA employees included maintenance mechanics, environmental compliance workers and technical assistants.
Trump is pushing to reduce government spending, which involves the efforts of high-tech billionaire Elon Musk, as part of the government's efficiency (DOGE).
Additional Reports by Kayla Epstein
