JUST IN: American Airlines plane with 178 onboard catches fire at US airport

Tragedy was averted on Thursday evening after American Airlines Flight 1006, a Boeing 737-800 traveling from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth suffered engine malfunction mid-air.

The plane which was diverted to Denver at around 5:15 p.m. local time was carrying 172 passengers and six crew members.

The crew had reported engine vibrations, prompting the emergency landing, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“After landing and while taxiing to the gate, an engine caught fire,” the FAA stated. The incident is under investigation.

The plane arrived at gate C38, where the fire broke out, a spokesperson for Denver International Airport told CNN. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, and all passengers were safely evacuated.

Images from the scene show passengers standing on the wing as thick smoke enveloped the aircraft. Twelve passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to the Denver Fire Department.

“We thank our crew members, DEN team, and first responders for their swift and decisive actions, prioritizing the safety of everyone on board and on the ground,” American Airlines said in a statement.

Kristal Leonard, a Montana woman waiting for a connecting flight at the airport, captured video of the incident. She saw large plumes of smoke and flames engulfing the aircraft from inside the terminal.

“I was terrified for those passengers,” Leonard said. “I can’t even imagine how scared they must’ve been.”

Video footage shows that ground crews were able to put out the fire quickly, with the bright orange flames and black smoke subsiding and turning into a misty haze as the fire was extinguished.

The engine fire follows a Delta Air Lines flight that crashed, flipped, and caught fire on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport just three weeks earlier.