The engine of a Caracas, Venezuela-bound Boeing 767 caught fire while the plane taxied for departure Thursday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, a US Federal Aviation Administration official said. The pilot of an aircraft traveling behind Dynamic International Airways Flight 405 reported fuel was leaking from the aircraft before it caught fire, the official said. The fire occurred about 12:30 pm on the airport’s north runway. Passengers evacuated the jet via emergency slides onto the taxiway. The airport was closed as emergency officials responded, airport spokesman Allan Siegel said.

Audio from the air traffic control tower caught one of the pilots saying, “The left engine looks like it’s leaking a lot of fuel. There is fluid leaking out of the left engine.” Fewer than 30 seconds later, as the tower was contacting the ramp so the Dynamic jet could return to the airport, a pilot said, “Engine’s on fire. Engine’s on fire.” Images and video from passengers who were at the airport or on other planes showed plumes of dark gray smoke billowing from the red-and-white jet. An ambulance, fire truck and other emergency vehicles were on the scene in one of those photos, while another witness posted video of emergency responders dousing the plane with hoses. (Kaieteur News)…[+]