A Southwest Airlines flight made an emergency landing around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday after a small engine fire forced the plane to circle back shortly after takeoff, the Houston Fire Department says.
The plane landed safely and came to a stop on the taxiway. The emergency slides were deployed, and passengers were evacuated. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and everyone on board has been accounted for.
Passengers were taken to the terminal shortly after the evacuation. Officials say they will board a new aircraft and their bags will be transferred from the damaged plane to the new one, and they’ll soon be back on their way to Cabo. According to the Southwest Airlines app, the new flight is scheduled to depart at 2:40 p.m.
According to the airport’s Public Information Officer, no ground stop was in place, and other flights continued moving as normal. Emergency crews quickly extinguished the fire, and no medical transports were needed.
Officials are still looking into what caused the engine issue.
