Passengers evacuate after American Airlines plane catches fire on tarmac of Denver airport

An American Airlines plane carrying 178 people caught fire on the tarmac after making an emergency landing at Denver International Airport Thursday evening, forcing many passengers to evacuate by climbing out onto a wing and with emergency slides. Airport officials said 12 passengers were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

The fire started just before 6 p.m. Mountain Time after the plane, a Boeing 737-800, diverted to the airport due to what appeared to be an engine issue. 

The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News in a statement that American Airlines Flight 1006 had departed from Colorado Springs Airport and was bound for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport when the "crew reported engine vibrations."

"After landing and while taxiing to the gate an engine caught fire and passengers evacuated the aircraft using the slides," the FAA said.

In a separate statement, American Airlines said the plane experienced an "engine-related issue" after it had landed and taxied to the gate.

The airline said all 172 passengers and six crewmembers got off and were "being relocated to the terminal."

The plane wound up parking at gate C38 at Concourse C.

Multiple videos posted on social media show flames coming from the plane and people evacuating by climbing onto a wing. Heavy smoke was seen coming from the plane during the chaotic scene.

An airport official told CBS News the fire was extinguished soon afterwards.

A family member of one of the passengers told CBS News Colorado that all the luggage was taken off the plane and the passengers were being rebooked for a flight that was scheduled to depart Denver for Dallas at 1 a.m. local time Friday. American Airlines later confirmed that it was sending a replacement aircraft and crew to help customers continue on to DFW.

One passenger, Gabrielle Hibbitts, told CBS News Colorado that, "As soon as the plane landed, we smelled this weird burning plastic smell and then everybody started screaming and saying there was a fire."

She said once she and her sister were a safe distance away, "We saw the plane ... and there was smoke everywhere."

Their mother, Ingrid Hibbitts, told CBS News Colorado, "It was surreal. I was like, 'Is this gonna blow up. ... What's happening here? Are they gonna be able to put out the fire?' I'm really grateful that this happened on the ground because if this happened in the air, I don't think I'd be standing here telling you the story."

CBS News transportation safety analyst Robert Sumwalt, a former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the emergency response on Thursday shows "the importance of having well-trained pilots, well-trained flight attendants, well-trained airport rescue and firefighting personnel and air traffic controllers, all working together to ensure a safe outcome when something like this happens."

Sumwalt said it's likely the FAA investigation into the incident will focus on when and where the fire started.

"We've got to really understand exactly when this smoke started and ... I'm not sure exactly why all of a sudden, when they got to the gate, the smoke started filling the passenger cabin. I think that will be a part of the investigation," Sumwalt said.