Southwest Passengers Rush to Evacuate Plane After Phone Battery Bursts Into Flames: WATCH

Mar. 15, 2025

More than 100 travelers were forced to evacuate a Southwest flight after a passenger’s cell phone battery burst into flames before takeoff.

Southwest Airlines Flight 3316 was still at the gate at Denver International Airport when the phone caught fire and the flames spread to a seat on board, the airline confirmed to PEOPLE. The Nov. 15 incident occurred right before the plane was about to depart for Houston.

The statement added, “Passengers in the back of the aircraft used the rear emergency slides, while those in the front of the plane exited through the front door.”

Southwest passengers evacuating the plane.Catherine Rios via Storyful

Catherine Rios via Storyful

Video footage of the evacuation shows passengers scrambling to get their bags down from the overhead bin as others can be heard screaming repeatedly in the background, “Evacuate! Evacuate now!”

The passengers who tried to grab their belongings before leaving appear to block the aisle, prompting those seated in the back of the aircraft to yell, “leave your stuff, get out!”

Southwest passengers grabbing their belongings during the evacuation.Catherine Rios via Storyful

In the case of an emergency, all passengers are required to leave their belongings behind, as instructed in the safety briefing before any flight. Failure to do so can delay an evacuation, as seen in the clip, and puts passengers and crew in danger.

Southwest passengers evacuating the plane after the fire was extinguished.Catherine Rios via Storyful

After some time, another person can be heard saying “the fire is out,” and passengers continue to evacuate through the back of the plane.

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While it was not immediately clear where the gunfire came from, no passengers aboard the Boeing 737-800 were injured, the airline confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.

source: people.com