10 hospitalized: Passenger's battery attributed to fire on plane diverted to Jacksonville
Ten people had to go to the hospital after a Spirit Airlines flight bound for Orlando made an emergency landing at the Jacksonville International Airport due to smoke in the passenger cabin, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
The airline said Flight 259 took off from Dallas at 2:01 p.m. Wednesday but had to land at JIA at 3:53 p.m. due to a battery fire that originated in an overhead bin.
Spirit said a guest's personal item started the fire.
"There was a retired fireman that jumped up and flight crew came in and they tried putting water on it, and another guy went and got a bucket because I think the fireman reached in and grabbed it and they got it put out, but it took about 20 minutes." passenger Kerri Arakawa said.
2018: Spirit Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Florida
FAA: 'Unruly passenger' on plane from Jacksonville leads to flight being diverted
Diverted flight: Baltimore Orioles make brief stop at JIA
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department initially said one person was taken to the hospital from the airport. However, officials said as time went by, more people started feeling ill.
"It was not until almost 6 o’clock that more people started feeling bad, and we then turned it into what we call an MCI level 1," fire department Capt. Eric Proswimmer said. "We ended up transporting a total of 10 patients from this flight.”
The patients included crew members. Officials were not able to elaborate on their symptoms due to privacy laws but said all were expected to be OK.
Spirit Airlines provided the following statement to First Coast News:
"Spirit Airlines Flight 259 from Dallas (DFW) to Orlando (MCO) diverted to Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) following what’s believed to be a battery fire from a guest item in an overhead bin that was extinguished inflight. The plane landed at JAX and taxied to the terminal without incident. We thank our crew and guests for their quick actions to ensure the safety of everyone onboard, and we thank first responders for meeting the aircraft."
The fire department said crew members onboard were able to take the item that caught fire and extinguish it in a bucket of water.
"The pilot got us out of the air really fast," Arakawa said. "It was exciting and had a really smooth landing of all the things, but it was quite frightening for a little while until we knew we were on the ground and safe."
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the fire.
This story first appeared on First Coast News.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Fire diverts Spirit Airlines flight to Jacksonville; 10 hospitalized
