A Frontier Airlines flight headed to Los Angeles struck and killed a person who was reportedly walking on a runway during takeoff Friday night at Denver International Airport.
The person was at least partially consumed by one of the engines, an official confirmed to ABC News, causing a brief engine fire that was extinguished by firefighters.
At least one minor injury to a passenger has been reported and all those onboard the plane are being evaluated, which is standard procedure following an evacuation.
The incident happened at around 11:19 p.m. Friday when Frontier Flight 4345 reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff, according to a statement from Denver International Airport. There were 231 souls on board.
Passengers evacuated the aircraft on the runway via slides and were bused to terminals by emergency crews.
Air traffic control audio from ATC.com captured the crew reporting the emergency to the tower.
“Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway. Uh, we just hit somebody… we have an engine fire,” the pilot is heard on the audio from ATC.
When asked how many people were aboard, the pilot responded, “We have 231 souls on board… There was an individual walking across the runway.”
Moments later, the pilot reported worsening conditions and the need to evacuate.
“We’ve got smoke on the aircraft, we’re gonna evacuate on the runway,” the pilot said.
The Denver fire Department responded to the scene and extinguished the fire.
Frontier Airlines released the following statement:
“As flight 4345 was departing this evening from Denver International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, the aircraft reportedly struck a pedestrian on the runway during takeoff. Smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff. Passengers were then safely evacuated via slides as a matter of precaution. The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members. We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities. We are deeply saddened by this event.”
A source briefed on the incident told ABC News that airport security was inspecting the east perimeter fence on Saturday morning for gaps and the person struck did not appear to be connected to the work occurring on a parallel runway.
The Denver Police Department is assisting with an investigation into the incident but said they do not have any further information to provide as it is an active investigation.
The NTSB has been alerted, according to the airport.
ABC News contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. More details will be added as more information becomes available.
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