Aircraft evacuated at Detroit Metro Airport due to report of fire onboard

Heavy smoke smell forces departing Delta flight to stop, be evacuated on taxiway

ROMULUS, Mich. – A report of a fire onboard an aircraft Monday evening at Detroit Metro Airport prompted an evacuation on the taxiway.

All 54 passengers were unloaded safely. A shuttle bus took them back to the terminal.

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It was Delta Airlines flight No. 4103. It was departing for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

According to airport spokesman Mike Conway, there was no actual fire onboard. Conway said passengers were evacuated because there was a real heavy smell of smoke onboard. Firefighters and police rushed to the plane but they did not find a fire.

Firefighters also smelled the strong odor of smoke, said Conway. They found a heat source near the back of the plane.

One of the runways at Metro Airport had to be closed for about 15 minutes as the plane was on the taxiway.

The aircraft is a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ-200 (twin-jet), according to FlightAware.com.