Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey was reopened late on Tuesday night after it was shut down when 131 people were evacuated from a United Airlines flight after flames were spotted coming from one of the jet’s engines.
United Airlines Flight 1579, a Boeing 757, was on a taxiway bound for San Francisco at about 9 p.m. Eastern time when the flames were seen coming from the right-side engine, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a written statement.
A spokesman for United, Jonathan Guerin, said that the aircraft was notified of the apparent fire by the tower and that one person suffered an ankle injury while evacuating.
Five people suffered minor injuries during the incident and travelers should expect delays throughout the night, a spokesman for the airport said in an email to Reuters.
Guerin said the plane had been carrying 124 passengers and seven crew members. He said that passengers had been transported back to the terminal and would be accommodated on later flights to San Francisco.
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The FAA said it would investigate the incident.
Flight tracking website Flightaware.com issued an alert that all inbound flights were being held at Newark until at least 11 p.m eastern and advised passengers of 90 minute delays due to taxiway congestion.
