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Chaos at São Paulo Airport: 169 Evacuated After Baggage-Carousel Fire Fills LATAM Plane With Smoke

12:52 AM, 12/07/2025
Chaos at São Paulo Airport: 169 Evacuated After Baggage-Carousel Fire Fills LATAM Plane With Smoke

Incident: A fire on a baggage conveyor at São Paulo–Guarulhos Airport filled LATAM Flight LA3418's cabin with smoke on the night of Dec. 4, prompting an emergency evacuation.

Outcome: All 169 passengers were evacuated safely with no reported injuries; the flight later departed nearly three hours late and landed in Porto Alegre.

Next: Authorities are investigating the cause; initial reporting points to subcontractor loading equipment as the origin of the fire.

Quick Overview

Passengers on LATAM Flight LA3418 were forced to evacuate after the aircraft cabin filled with smoke when a fire broke out on a baggage conveyor linked to the parked jet at São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) late on Dec. 4. Video posted online showed heavy smoke and flames near the plane as airport firefighters worked to control the blaze.

What Happened

According to Brazilian outlet Estadão and other local reports, the blaze began on a baggage conveyor operated by a subcontractor responsible for loading cargo onto the aircraft. Smoke quickly entered the passenger cabin, prompting an emergency evacuation. Footage shared on X showed passengers lining up to leave the cabin while fire crews prepared an evacuation slide.

Passengers and Flight Details

LATAM confirmed that all 169 passengers on board were evacuated safely and that no injuries were reported. The airline said the situation was brought under control quickly. Passengers were reportedly told to leave their belongings behind during the evacuation, per local coverage.

Flight-tracking service FlightAware recorded that the flight eventually departed GRU nearly three hours late—at 1:04 a.m. on Dec. 5—and landed at Salgado Filho International Airport in Porto Alegre at 2:54 a.m. Of the original group, 159 passengers arrived in Porto Alegre that morning; the remaining 10 were rebooked on other flights or transported by road, local reports said.

Response and Next Steps

Airport fire crews were on scene and extinguished the blaze. Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause and circumstances of the incident. LATAM Airlines and GRU Airport had not provided additional comment to media at the time of reporting.

Sources: Estadão, FlightAware, Daily Mail and on-the-ground video shared on X.

If confirmed, investigators will likely examine subcontractor equipment maintenance and safety procedures for ground-loading operations.

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