Fire Breaks Out Just Yards From Passenger Plane on Ibiza Runway

A fire that broke out in a field near the runway at Ibiza Airport caused tense moments for passengers on a British Airways flight headed to London. The plane, which had already been delayed for about two hours because of a technical issue, was standing near the runway when the flames began spreading quickly through the dry field nearby. Despite the drama, the flight eventually took off safely and landed at London City Airport. However, according to a report in The Sun, the incident caused major disruptions to airport operations throughout the day.

Marco Schiavo, a 30-year-old passenger on the plane, described how travelers spotted the flames shortly after the aircraft began moving toward the runway: "Eventually we got onto the runway, and then we noticed there was a small fire in the field in front of us. We were literally sitting there on the runway watching it." He said the situation changed dramatically within moments: "Then it just escalated quickly. It was crazy. It started as something really small, and then after about 60 seconds, it was almost in the middle of the field."

Following the incident, Spanish authorities classified the blaze as an agricultural fire and dispatched a fire truck and two aircraft to battle the flames. At least two homes in the area were evacuated, while several people required treatment after inhaling smoke.

According to Schiavo, as the fire moved closer to the runway, anxiety inside the plane grew as well. Passengers began getting out of their seats and drawing the flight crew's attention to what was happening outside the windows: "People started to panic because we were so close to it." He added: "We're on a plane, after all, so there's jet fuel, and it was so close that if wind came through and something caught fire, the whole plane would have exploded. There was a couple with a really small baby behind us, and they were pretty scared."

The incident in Ibiza comes amid a wave of fires across Spain in recent days, following a series of heat waves that left large parts of the country especially dry. According to the report, more than 116,000 people were evacuated from their homes during the week because of the fires, while temperatures in Madrid are expected to reach around 40 degrees Celsius. Ibiza itself is also expected to see especially hot weather in the coming days, with temperatures reaching as high as 36 degrees Celsius.