The emergency slides were deployed on a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft at Denver International Airport (DEN) after a phone battery caught fire onboard.
The plane was still parked at a gate, preparing to depart for William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, when the incident occurred.
The incident occurred on November 15, 2024, involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registered as N429WN.
The aircraft was preparing for flight WN3316 from Denver International Airport (DEN) to William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) in Houston when a passenger's phone battery ignited, causing an airplane seat to catch fire as well. In a statement, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said:
"Passengers in the front half of the plane exited through the jet bridge. Passengers in the rear half of the plane exited using slides."
According to CNN, preliminary reports indicate that one passenger sustained a minor injury during the evacuation, while the passenger whose phone caused the fire is being treated for burns. Southwest told the publication that the crew successfully extinguished the fire on the seat.
The FAA said that it would investigate the incident. According to Flightradar24.com data, Southwest arrived three hours late to its destination at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.
On the same day that a phone battery fire prompted the evacuation of a Southwest Airlines 737-700, a separate incident occurred involving a Southwest Boeing 737-800, which was reportedly struck by a bullet.
On November 15, Southwest Airlines flight 2494, operating from Dallas Love Field (DAL) to Indianapolis International Airport (IND), was struck by a bullet while still on the ground in Dallas.
According to a Southwest spokesperson speaking to Reuters, the incident occurred "while the crew was preparing for takeoff," suggesting the Boeing 737-800 had not yet begun its takeoff roll.
In a statement, the FAA said:
"While taxiing for takeoff at Dallas Love Field Airport, Southwest Airlines Flight 2494 was reportedly struck by gunfire near the cockpit around 8:30 p.m. local time on Friday, Nov. 15. The Boeing 737-800 returned to the gate, where passengers deplaned."
Passengers deplaned the aircraft at the gate and were accommodated on a replacement flight operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered as N8858K.
Gunfire incidents involving aircraft are relatively uncommon in the US, though they occur more often than in countries with stricter gun control laws, such as Denmark or Sweden.
A significant instance of a plane being shot at occurred in 2023. An Aeromexico Embraer E190, operating a commercial flight with passengers onboard, was fired upon while on the runway at Culiacán International Airport (CUL) in Mexico.
The gunfire came from individuals linked to the Sinaloa Cartel following the arrest of Ovidio Guzmán, son of ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán.
