Holidaymakers at Liverpool Airport were terrified as they witnessed a fire erupting next to their plane on Friday evening, Oct. 6.
An eyewitness, known as Salford GroundHopper, wrote on twitter: “So I’m off to Bulgaria and the plane next to us is on fire.”
So I'm off to Bulgaria and the plane next to us is on fire. pic.twitter.com/xAhsPDQUHn
— Salford GroundHopper (@SalfordHopper) October 6, 2017
At first, passengers thought the ground fire unit that burst into flames was a plane on fire.
But later, authorities confirmed that the fire was caused by a ground power unit that burst into flames shortly before 7 p.m.
A concerned twitter user posted images of the emergency services arriving on the scene.
@GeorgeHatcher Liverpool Airport now. pic.twitter.com/0zpZoXM27I
— Jon Berry (@1JONBERRY) October 6, 2017
Liverpool Airport responded quickly saying: “Hi Jon, there was a small fire in the ground service equipment but our Fire Service dealt with it quickly and safely. All is fine now.”
PHOTO Ground Power Unit (GPU) catches fire near EasyJet Airbus A319 at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, England. (6-OCT-2017). @Marley_Whelan pic.twitter.com/8JPYalYIkL
— Air Disasters (@AirCrashMayday) October 6, 2017
A ground power unit supplies electricity to the plane when it is parked on the ground.
A representative for Liverpool Airport confirmed via email that the fire occurred outside on a ground power unit at the airport.
#liverpool John Lennon Airport fire: 'All we could see was the smoke and flames' https://t.co/u6wKqnBVaK
— Beckwith locks (@BeckwithLocks) October 6, 2017