Engine Fire Triggers Emergency Evacuation of LATAM A320 in Lima

A LATAM Airlines Airbus A320, registration CC-BFS, was evacuated on the tarmac at Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM) on October 19 after its port-side CFM56 engine caught fire during taxi.

The aircraft was preparing to operate flight LA 2302 to Piura (PIU) in northern Peru. The fire broke out for reasons not yet established, with flames appearing to spread from the engine to adjacent areas of the wing.

All passengers and crew evacuated safely. No one was injured, despite the intensity of the fire, which circulated widely in videos posted on social media.

What happened on the taxiway?

The sequence began in the most routine way possible. The A320 was taxiing toward the runway at Lima, engines running, flight LA 2302 loaded and bound for Piura. Then fire engulfed the port-side CFM56 powerplant.

Footage that emerged afterward on social media shows what witnesses described as a spectacular force of flame — enough, in the imagery, to suggest involvement of structures beyond the engine itself. Flames appeared to reach the adjacent areas of the wing before airport emergency services intervened.

Emergency crews rushed to the aircraft and extinguished the fire while the evacuation was underway.

How did the evacuation unfold?

Every passenger and crew member got off the aircraft. LATAM later reallocated them to another flight so they could continue the journey to their final destination.

A note issued by the airline states that the emergency protocol was successfully activated and implemented.

An investigation has been launched to determine the causes of the incident. No findings have been released yet, and the operator of the airport, the airline and Peruvian authorities have not detailed what triggered the engine fire or how far the damage extends into the wing structure.

What remains unknown?

Several questions will shape the inquiry now underway:

• What caused the CFM56 on the port side to catch fire while the aircraft was taxiing?
• Did the flames compromise wing structures adjacent to the engine, and to what extent?
• How the aircraft's condition will affect LATAM's short-term capacity on the Lima–Piura route.

The carrier's statement confirms only two things: the protocol worked, and the investigation into the fire's origin has begun.