Passengers Forced to Evacuate Plane as Smell of Fuel Fills Cabin
— -- Passengers arriving in Boise, Idaho, were forced to evacuate onto the wing of their aircraft Friday night when they smelled fuel and saw what looked like smoke in the cabin.
Allegiant Air flight 330 had arrived in Boise from Los Angeles about 7 p.m. local time when a fuel spilled occurred while the plane was at the gate, said Boise Airport spokesman Sean Briggs. The passengers saw vapor coming from the spill, which they thought was smoke, he said.
Passenger Niki Hughes told ABC News in an email that vapor was filling the plane and was so strong that people were covering their noses with their clothes.
“They did not make any announcements to the rest of the plane until they noticed that someone had opened the emergency exit,” she said. "The flight attendant made it clear that she was frustrated at the fact that someone opened the door because they would not be able to leave on time now for their next flight. People were visibly scared and confused and the staff on the plane just seemed annoyed.”
Jacquelyn Jones, who later flew from Boise to California, watched from the terminal as the passengers stood on the wing.
“The smell inside the waiting area was very strong and burning my throat and nose,” she told ABC News in an email. “Passengers were very upset.”
There were no injures, said Briggs. It's unclear what caused the spill.
Allegiant Air issued a statement, saying, "the safety of our passengers and employees is our number one priority ... A review of the incident confirmed that at no time were the passengers or crew members on board the plane in danger."
