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Allegiant Air Flight 330 landed safely at Boise Airport at about 7 p.m. local time after a flight from Los Angeles on Friday, and had arrived at the terminal gate, when the cabin filled with fuel fumes and what appeared to be smoke, ABC News reported. This caused the flyers to open an emergency exit and evacuated onto a wing of the aircraft.
Boise Airport spokesman Sean Briggs told ABC News that there was a fuel spill while the plane was at the gate, but said what passengers thought was smoke was actually vapor emanating from the spill.
But smoke or no smoke, the fumes still caused the flyers distress. Passenger Niki Hughes commented to ABC News via email that vapor in the cabin was so strong that individuals were covering their noses with their clothes.
"They did not make any announcements to the rest of the plane until they noticed that someone had opened the emergency exit," she said. "The flight attendant made it clear that she was frustrated at the fact that someone opened the door because they would not be able to leave on time now for their next flight. People were visibly scared and confused and the staff on the plane just seemed annoyed."
Jacquelyn Jones, who later flew from Boise to California, took in the scene from the terminal as the passengers stood on the wing. But even that location was permeated with the stench of fuel.
"The smell inside the waiting area was very strong and burning my throat and nose," she told ABC News by email. "Passengers were very upset."
Briggs reported there were no injuries. The cause of the spill is still unknown.
In a statement, Allegiant Air said, "the safety of our passengers and employees is our number one priority ... A review of the incident confirmed that at no time were the passengers or crew members on board the plane in danger.
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