On 9th July 2023, an Air Canada Boeing 777 was damaged after a truck which was parked underneath the aircraft caught fire at Montreal Airport (YUL). Some passengers were still on board the aircraft when the fire broke out.
The Boeing 777-300ER with registration C-FITL had arrived in Montreal as flight AC885 from Geneva. However, while it was parked at gate 66, a service truck that was located underneath the aircraft caught fire.
The fire reportedly began in the engine of the vehicle and quickly spread across the vehicle. As a result, the aircraft was engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. Due to the blaze, thick smoke entered the aircraft cabin. An airline spokesperson confirmed that some passengers were still on the plane when the fire broke out.
“In accordance with our safety procedures, the crew responded professionally by ensuring the quick deplanement of remaining passengers from the aircraft, which had landed from Geneva. We are very proud of our employees’ actions in responding to this incident.”
Air Canada Spokesperson
The intense heat from the fire caused damage to the fuselage, leaving visible signs of scorching.
Furthermore, it is evident that at least one door on the aircraft had also incurred damage due to the high temperatures.
No attempts were made to combat the flames using mobile fire extinguishers either from inside the aircraft or other vehicles until airport fire service trucks arrived.
About 20 firefighters were dispatched to the scene and the fire was under control in under half an hour.
In a statement to CTV News, Air Canada confirmed that the vehicle which caught fire was a water truck. No injuries were reported, according to the authorities. The aircraft is currently out for a maintenance inspection.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it is believed that the water truck may have malfunctioned. The truck was carrying a full load of clean drinking water.
Images via Twitter (FlightMode, HavaSosyalMedya)
Just returned to the US from Canada, gone through 8 Air Canada flights, and 7 of them had cancellations, delays, missed baggage, standby status, broken WiFi, broken entertainment system, or a combination of any of the above. 5 of them originated or landed in Montreal (or were supposed to). We became comically familiar with the airport in the span of 1 week.
So it’s only fitting to learn that an airplane caught fire ((from the truck)) there… it felt like Air Canada and YUL ground operations have already melted down.
It is good to hear no body was injured. However, the airport has to do safety analysis to respond timely for such type of accidents. Monitoring/Servicing of ground handling equipment is also critical to review. I really amused for no one was trying to extinguish the fire using portable fire extinguishers!!! (Training and drill is important always.)
Wondering why it took so long for the fire trucks to arrive.
Clearly no emergency reaction program in place YUL. The 777 has one of the highest under fuselage clearance of current PAX A/C. How no one thought to push the burning vehicle away from behind when the fire started is beyond me. There are cargo tugs, pickup trucks and even A/C tugs on the ramp but no, just let it burn and damage the 777-300ER which could have been worse if the YUL fire response had been taking a longer nap.
Hummmm 🤔. Personnes a jamais pensé pousser le camion plus loin avec un tug quand le camion a commencé a avoir des problèmes. Avec la chaleur sur le fuselage, pas mal sur que non seulement les skins mais aussi la structure et les systèmes en ont pris un coup. Pas sur de revoir voler le 777.
Glad nobody seems to have been hurt. But you have to appreciate the irony of a water truck catching fire