JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Fire Rescue crews responded to the airport Thursday afternoon, after a report of a fire in the cargo hold of a plane. A 737 with 159 people was traveling from Montreal to Cuba when the fire broke out.
The crew reported the fire, forcing an emergency landing Jacksonville. The plane’s fire suppression system doused the fire before it landed, but JFRD crews were on hand to check the plane out.
The flight was a return to Holguin, Cuba-- for Canadian tour operator Hola Sun/Caribe Sol in collaboration with the airline -- since COVID halted flights.
#HolaSun/ #Caribesol together with #OWG restart today their operations to #Cuba with 8 weekly flights from #Toronto and #Montreal to #Varadero,#Santa Clara, #CayoCoco and #Holguin pic.twitter.com/r8P5PbNHqE
— Jose M.Bisbe York (@BisbeYork) June 30, 2022
The Canadian airline, OWG, is fairly new and started flying in December 2020. Jacksonville Aviation Authority says it’s uncertain what happens next with the passengers and information is limited on the website Flight Aware.
According to AirNav RadarBox, the flight eventually took off at 7:30 p.m. and reached its destination around 10 p.m.