San Diego -- A United Airlines flight was forced to return to San Diego International Airport Tuesday morning after a fire was reported on the plane.
Airport officials said the flight, which had taken off shortly after 7 a.m. and was heading to Newark, rerouted back to the airport due to a laptop that had caught fire.
The plane returned to the terminal at around 7:30 a.m., with San Diego Fire-Rescue crews at the scene to respond to the reported fire and examine all passengers and crew members.
San Diego Fire-Rescue officials said once crew members on the plane were alerted to an external battery pack on fire in the passenger cabin. The crew placed the item in a special bag so the fire would not spread. Fire officials confirmed that the fire did not spread.
A San Diego Fire Rescue spokeswoman told KOGO News all crew and passengers were evaluated medically by SDFD personnel. Four patients were transported to UCSD Hillcrest for treatment of smoke inhalation. She says two patients signed out against medical advice and opted not to be transported. One patient eloped.
(Photo reporting partner 10News)