Plane Catches Fire On Runway At Fort Lauderdale Airport

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The engine of a Boeing 767 carrying 101 people caught fire as the plane taxied for departure Thursday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, officials said. It was bound for Caracas, Venezuela.

Fifteen people were injured, one with serious burns, said Broward County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mike Jachles. Two other people suffered less serious injuries, he said, and the remaining dozen people were described as “walking wounded” who suffered bruises, bumps, contusions and other minor injuries.

The pilot of an aircraft traveling behind Dynamic International Airways Flight 405 reported fuel was leaking from the aircraft before it caught fire, a Federal Aviation Administration official said. The fire occurred about 12:30 p.m. on the airport’s north runway.

Passengers evacuated the jet via emergency slides onto the taxiway. Emergency officials responded in two minutes, and the plane was evacuated within six minutes, Jachles said.