Passenger’s lithium battery sparks fire on JetBlue flight, prompting evacuation

A JetBlue flight was evacuated in New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) after a passenger’s lithium battery sparked fire onboard.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement that 133 people were evacuated using the plane’s emergency slides. Seven people suffered minor injuries but none were taken to the hospital, NBC New York reported.

JetBlue Flight 662 came from Bridgetown, Barbados, and was taxiing to a gate at JFK’s Terminal 5 when the flight crew reported a smoking battery from a laptop at around 21:00 EST.

The fire was quickly extinguished by the crew, and the Airbus A320’s emergency slide was deployed, from which 67 passengers evacuated. 60 more passengers then deplaned the aircraft normally.

Seven passengers suffered minor injuries, including smoke inhalation and bruised elbows.

“Safety is always our number one priority, and we are investigating this incident in coordination with the FAA and NTSB,” JetBlue said in a statement to the New York Daily News.