'The flight attendants were amazing': Passengers react after fire starts on flight bound for Phoenix
'The flight attendants were amazing': Passengers react after fire starts on flight bound for Phoenix
Frightening moments on Saturday for passengers on a Phoenix-bound American Airlines flight when a fire broke out on the plane.
12News was able to catch up with some of the passengers who shared what happened.
Passenger Adriana Novello said the small fire started in row 31.
“I was in the exit row, so I wasn’t super close to it, but I woke up to one of the flight attendants jumping on my chair to get the fire extinguisher out of our emergency exit row,” Novello said.
She said she could smell smoke, and people on the plane were coughing.
Novello said she thinks an item in a carry-on bag caused the fire.
“It turns out that it was a battery we believe that was in somebody’s bag on their carry-on bag, and when they took it out and kind of threw it into the aisle,” she said.
The flight attendants acted quickly to put out the fire.
“The flight attendants were amazing and immediately handled it,” Novello said. “They ran with a fire suppressant bag and filled it with water, put the battery in there to extinguish the fire immediately.”
Then, the flight attendants ensured that everyone had oxygen masks if needed.
“Thanks to the flight attendants, we were absolutely safe the entire time,” Novello said.
12News caught up with another passenger, George Rhea, as he arrived at Sky Harbor.
He said the entire incident was handled smoothly by the flight attendants.
"It was in the back. I could smell it, but I couldn't see it. They got it out pretty quick. They did a little running around, there was a fire extinguisher, there was a bag and then there was a bag they put everything in, sealed it and the firemen took it," said Rhea.
There were 160 passengers and six crew members on board when the fire broke out.
The FAA said the incident is under investigation.
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