A Spirit Airlines flight from Dallas to Orlando was diverted to an airport in Jacksonville, Florida, after a battery from a passenger's item caught fire in an overhead bin, airline officials said.
Flight 259 landed safely Wednesday afternoon and taxied to the terminal, the Florida-based airline said in a statement. Several people from the flight were taken to the hospital after feeling ill.
“There was a retired fireman that jumped up and the 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 told FirstCoast News.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue officials said one person was taken to the hospital initially, but more people started feeling ill as time passed.
Fire Captain Eric Proswimmer told the TV station they ended up taking 10 patients to the hospital.
Updates on their conditions were not available.
“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 airline said.
The airline provided refunds and vouchers to passengers, and arranged for ground transportation to Orlando.
Hawaiian Electric Co. had not insulated miles of wires, which can spark on contact, or replaced old, leaning wooden utility poles not built for strong winds.
Camp Pendleton, CA - December 05: A MV-22 Osprey aircraft is used during the annual Steel Knight training exercise on Monday, December 5, 2022 at Camp Pendleton. (Photo by Mindy Schauer/MediaNewsGroup/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
The original march in 1963 drew as many as 250,000 people and helped pave the way for the passage of federal civil rights and voting rights legislation in the next few years.
The 21-year-old man used a handgun and an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle — both if which were purchased legally earlier this year — to kill three Black people.
Idalia could approach Florida on Wednesday with winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph), according to the latest forecasts from the Hurricane Center. That would make it a Category 2 hurricane.
A judge in West Virginia ruled that abortion pill sales can be restricted.
Cheddar News checks in with a coast-to-coast forecast of the weather for Friday, August 25, 2023.
The recent wildfires and ensuing smoky air led to a spike in emergency room visits.
The Pentagon said it will train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets for its war against Russia.
The Kremlin said it had no role in Wednesday's plane crash that presumably killed Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants.
