A thrilling incident occurred recently at São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport in Brazil. On a LATAM Chile A320 flight, just before takeoff, passengers noticed thick smoke and fire coming from the cargo area outside the window. Chaos immediately erupted inside the cabin as passengers rushed and pushed toward the emergency exits. Fortunately, thanks to the swift guidance of the flight attendants and airport staff, everyone was safely evacuated.
According to a report by the UK’s The Sun on the 5th, the incident took place on the night of the 4th while passengers were boarding for a flight to Porto Alegre. The fire originated from the conveyor belt equipment used to transport luggage, which apparently caught fire suddenly while loading baggage into the cargo hold.
After firefighters quickly arrived, they removed the burning equipment. LATAM Airlines stated that the accident stemmed from a small fire in third-party ground crew equipment; the smoke triggered safety protocols, and all passengers were safely evacuated through the jet bridge and emergency slides. No casualties were reported.