JACKSONVILLE, Florida. — A Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando had to divert to an airport in Jacksonville, Fla., after a passenger electronic device battery in an overhead compartment of the cabin caught fire, company officials have said. Aerial.
Flight 259 landed safely Wednesday afternoon and was towed to the terminal, the Florida-based airline said. Several sick people were taken to hospital.
“There was a firefighter who responded, crew members arrived and they tried to pour water on him. Someone else got a canister and put it out, but it took about 20 minutes,” passenger Kerri Arakawa told FirstCoast News.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue authorities initially reported that one person had been taken to the hospital, but over time more and more people began to feel unwell.
Fire Captain Eric Proswimmer told TV they eventually took 10 patients to hospital.
“We thank our crew and passengers for their swift actions to keep everyone on board safe, and we thank the first responders for coming to the aircraft,” the airline said.
The airline provided refunds and vouchers to passengers and arranged ground transportation to Orlando.