'Leave your bags, come this way!' United passengers hurried off plane due to small fire under aircraft after Denver landing

• A United Airlines flight had to quickly deplane after reports of smoke and a small fire on Tuesday.
• A United spokesperson told Insider that the smoke indicated the plane's brakes may have overheated.

Passengers on board a United Airlines flight on Tuesday had to scramble off the plane amid reports of smoke and a small fire under the aircraft upon landing.

At about 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, a United flight from Kansas City, Missouri to Denver, Colorado, landed safely at Denver International Airport, according to a statement from the airport shared with Insider.

Upon landing, however, there were reports of smoke and fire under the aircraft, the statement said, prompting flight crew to rush passengers off the plane.

A United spokesperson told Insider that the smoke indicated the plane's brakes may have overheated. One-hundred and fifty-seven passengers were on board, as well as four crew members, the airline said.

Passenger Adrian Hartwell shared video of the chaotic scene on Twitter this week.

"Leave your bags! Leave your bags! Come this way, come this way!" a member of the flight crew can be heard saying over the speaker as passengers rush toward the exit.

Hartwell told CNN that the pilot came over the intercom as the plane was landing, telling everyone they needed to exit the aircraft. Flight attendants managed to get everyone off the plane in about a minute and a half, Hartwell said.

"I was kind of panicked but also I was glad we were on the ground already," he told the outlet.

The Denver Airport and United both said some passengers were able to deplane as normal on the jet bridge while others exited in the rear, where the plane's slides were deployed.

Nobody was injured in the incident, according to the airport.

The Denver Fire Department said Tuesday that it responded at the gate and quickly put out the small fire.

The incident comes as the entire airline industry faces mounting challenges following a surge in post-lockdown air travel.