Passengers evacuate after American Airlines plane catches fire on tarmac of Denver airport

Smoke seen coming from commercial plane at Denver International Airport

Smoke seen coming from commercial plane at Denver International Airport 00:18

An American Airlines plane on the ground near a concourse at Denver International Airport caught fire while it was on the tarmac on Thursday evening. That’s according to airport officials, who said the plane was parked at gate C38 at Concource C, and there are no reports of injuries.

The fire started after the plane diverted to the Colorado airport due to an engine issue, CBS News learned. A family member of a passenger said the plane departed from Colorado Springs and that its intended destination was Dallas.

Steve Schilsky

Multiple videos posted on social media showed people evacuating the plane by climbing out onto the wing. Heavy smoke was coming from the plane.

An airport official told CBS News the fire was extinguished.

This is a developing story and will be updated. 

Jesse SarlesJesse Sarles manages the web content and website operations for CBS Colorado. He writes articles about Colorado news and sports in and around the Denver area.

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