Plane Evacuated, Thirteen People Hospitalized

An engine fire on board a British Airways Boeing 777 forced the evacuation of 159 passengers and 13 crew members as the plane was preparing to depart from Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport (KLAS) Tuesday.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the left engine of the 777 caught fire as the plane prepared for takeoff on Runway 7. The crew reported the fire at 4:13 p.m. local time, and it was extinguished by 4:18 p.m., according to Rosemary Vassiliadis, director of aviation at McCarren. The plane's emergency slides were deployed and the aircraft was evacuated.

Thirteen people who were aboard the plane suffered minor injuries, according to the report, and they were transported to area hospitals.

Jacob Steinberg, a reporter from the U.K. newspaper The Guardian was aboard the plane. He said via Twitter that some passengers suffered cuts and bruises during the evacuation process. "They've been banged up," he Tweeted. He said that the pilot reported a "catastrophic engine failure" which caused the fire.

(Image from YouTube video posted by user Balaji Rajgiri captured from the terminal)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov