British Airways plane catches fire on runway forcing passengers to be evacuated

Firefighters in Denmark were called out on Wednesday to put out a fire on a British Airways (BA) passenger plane.

Emergency crews at Copenhagen Airport, Denmark, had to spray flame-retardant foam on the jet's engine and wheels to extinguish the flames.

Passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, a spokesman for British Airways said.

Gabe Gudgel, from Oklahoma City, who was meant to be on the flight, explained: “We were waiting for our flight to board and it was delayed a few minutes.

"Then, as the plane had landed and it was approaching our gate, the wheel burst into flames and would not stop smoking.

“That’s when fire trucks and ambulances all surrounded the plane and started hosing it down.

“I believe everyone that was in the plane got out safely.”

The flight was later cancelled.

A BA spokesperson told Yahoo News UK that a “small fire” had been reported, with some smoke also seen at the wheels.

They added: “Fire services were called to assist with the aircraft on landing into Copenhagen.

“All customers and crew disembarked the BA820 safely.

“We would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”