'i Heard People Yell Fire': Delta Flight Evacuated After Engine Sparks

Delta flight evacuates after fire ignites

A Delta Air Lines flight was evacuated after flames were seen coming from one of the plane's engine tailpipes, according to the airline.

A Delta Air Lines flight caught fire on the ground in Orlando and was safely evacuated.

According to the airline, flight 1213 was scheduled to travel between Orlando and Atlanta on Monday when flames were spotted in one of its engine tailpipes.

A Delta spokesperson said there were 282 customers, 10 flight attendants and two pilots aboard the Airbus A330.

Kyle Becker, 38, was on the flight, en route from Orlando to Nashville, and said the experience was surprisingly orderly.

“I had a window seat on that side. I had my shade closed because I was planning to take a nap,” he told USA TODAY “I heard people yell fire, so I opened my shade and there was flame and smoke coming from the wing.”

Becker said a few minutes later, the captain ordered an evacuation, and the emergency slides were deployed. Although he said some people ignored instructions to leave their belongings behind, the evacuation went fairly smoothly otherwise.

He was reunited with his backpack soon after, and Delta booked him on another flight later in the day.

The airline confirmed it was sending another plane to Orlando to reaccommodate the affected passengers, while maintenance teams would inspect the affected aircraft.

"We appreciate our customers' cooperation and apologize for the experience. Nothing is more important than safety and Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destinations as soon as possible," the spokesperson said in a statement.

There were no initial reports of injuries as a result of the incident.

This story was updated to include new information.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.