WASHINGTON, July 11 More than 300 people were forced to evacuate a London-bound British Airways jumbo jet in Phoenix on Friday night when fumes were detected in the cabin, officials said.

The plane carrying 298 passengers, 15 cabin crew and three pilots “was pushing back from the gate” at the Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport shortly before 800pm on Friday (0300 GMT on Saturday) when the “smell of smoke” pervaded the cabin of the Boeing 747, British Airways spokesman John Lampl told AFP.

The crew, unaware of the source or nature of the smoke, ordered passengers to exit via the emergency slides.

“Everybody was fine,” Lampl said, stressing that passengers were never in danger.

Phoenix media reported that emergency crews treated 15 people at the scene for bumps and scrapes.

Engineers were investigating the origin of the fumes, Lampl said.

A spokeswoman for the Phoenix Fire Department, Shelly Jamison, told CNN that fire-fighters used a thermal imaging camera but were unable to determine the source of the fire.

She said the smoke may have been caused by electrical problems.—AFP