Dulles International Airport fire: United Airlines flight involved; scary video emerges

A massive plume of smoke could be seen around the Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Saturday

Updated on: Dec 14, 2025, 24:13:04 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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A massive plume of smoke could be seen around the Dulles International Airport in Virginia on Saturday. Initial reports stated that a United Airlines plane experienced engine issues that resulted in a brushfire near the runway. The flight made an emergency return. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed yet.

A flight made an emergency return to Dulles International Airport on Saturday (Unsplash)

One person at the airport tweeted about the incident. “On a plane about to take off at Dulles Airport in Washington. Runway closed due to an “incident”. Lots of smoke and flashing lights from emergency vehicles. Praying it’s not a crash,” they noted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.

An alert page posted about ‘ a brush fire has erupted at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, prompting the closure of the runway to both departing and arriving flights as firefighters work to extinguish the fire, with assistance being provided by both the Ashburn and Sterling Volunteer Fire’.

Authorities are yet to issue a statement.

This comes nearly a month after a vehicle transporting passengers at the Washington Dulles International Airport crashed into a building, injuring about 18 passengers and also causing some damage to the terminal.

The incident occurred around 4:30 PM when a mobile lounge, which transports passengers between the terminal and aircraft from Concourse D, struck a dock at an angle as it was pulling up to the terminal at Washington Dulles International Airport, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said.

The dock at the airport is where the vehicle carrying passengers stops to let people into the concourse. According to authorities, the passengers who were hurt in the incident sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to the hospital by the fire department.

“The airport is open and operating as normal on Monday evening,” the authorities' statement added. Detailing the crash, Crystal L. Nosal, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said at the time.

According to Washington Dulles International Airport’s website, there are a total of 19 mobile lounges at the airport functioning which can transport nearly 102 passengers. The mobile lounges are about 54 feet (16.5 meters) long and 16 feet (4.9 meters) wide. The fleet of mobile lounges carries passengers between the terminal and Concourses A and D.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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