Passengers describe fear during California plane evacuation
LOS ANGELES — A small fire that broke out on a Southwest Airlines plane at a Southern California airport led to a confusing and sometimes chaotic evacuation, with some fearful travellers pushing each other to reach the exit, passengers said Tuesday.
Lauren Barnett was sitting toward the back of the Boeing 737 as it headed to the runway at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana when she heard a noise that sounded like a car backfiring. That’s when the power went out.
Soon afterward, someone said smoke was coming from the plane Monday evening and another person shouted that everyone needed to evacuate, said Barnett, a 30-year-old concierge from San Jose.
“Everyone went into a panic at that point,” she said, with some passengers struggling to open overhead bins to retrieve their belongings. “Some of us were screaming, ‘Leave your suitcases!’”