BA Boeing 777 Plane Fire: Listen To Captain Calmly Notify McCarran International Airport Officials About Blaze

Calm BA Captain Made Frightening Mayday Call Sound More Like A Coffee Order
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Black smoke was billowing from the British Airways jet as flames shot out from under the wing, but listening to the British Airways pilot notify airport officials of the emergency you'd think nothing concerning was happening at all.

An audio recording of the pilot has emerged in video of the fire at the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas on Tuesday, which occurred shortly before the Boeing 777 was due to leave for London Gatwick.

The pilot can be heard saying "mayday... request fire services" before telling officials "we are evacuating on runway, we have a fire, I repeat, we are evacuating".

The pilot is reassured by officials that the fire service is on its way.

All 159 and 13 crew escaped the aircraft on emergency slides, with 14 people needing treatment for minor injuries. According to AP, around 50 firefighters put out the blaze.

Passengers were accused of slowing the plane's evacuation by grabbing their hand luggage before leaving, media reported.

Guardian sports reporter Jacob Steinberg, who was on board, said: "You could smell the smoke from the outside, you could see it. I heard later that a couple of windows had melted.

"A couple of minutes later the stewards told us to evacuate – that sparked a lot of panic."

Speaking to AP, Reggie Bügmüncher from Philadelphia, saw "bursts of flames coming out of the middle of the plane" while waiting at a gate for her flight.

"Everyone ran to the windows and people were standing on their chairs, looking out, holding their breath with their hands over their mouths," she said.

Dominic Worthington, a passenger who lives in London, told NBC News: "We were literally just about to take off." He confirmed that smoke was visible on both sides of the plane.

No official reason for the blaze has yet been established, however Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor confirmed the left engine caught fire.

One runway was shut down due to the incident, however three remained in operation.

British Airways said in a statement that "Safety is always our priority. We are looking after customers after a technical issue with the aircraft."

Las Vegas BA Fire
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In this photo taken from the view of a plane window, smoke billows out from a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Photo taken from the view of a plane window shows smoke billowing from a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Photo taken from a plane window of the BA aircraft on fire. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip can be seen behind a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Firefighters stand by a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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A plane takes off behind a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Firefighters enter a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip can be seen behind a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Firefighters stand by a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip can be seen behind a plane that caught fire. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip can be seen behind the plane (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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British Airways plane sits on a runway surrounded by emergency vehicles at McCarran International Airport following a fire onboard on September 8, 2015. (credit:L.E. BASKOW via Getty Images)
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In this photo taken from the view of a plane window, smoke billows out from a plane that caught fire at McCarren International Airport, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Las Vegas. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)