AKIPRESS.COM - Fourteen people were taken to the hospital Tuesday when a British Airways Boeing 777 suffered a major engine failure during takeoff at Las Vegas airport, starting an intense fire that triggered an emergency evacuation on the runway.

Thick clouds of black smoke billowed from the left engine of the plane as passengers used inflatable slides to escape the blaze.

The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team to investigate the accident.

Witnesses said the fire was so intense that it melted windows on the plane, which was bound for London's Gatwick Airport.

Cockpit alarms can be heard on recordings of the pilots' mayday call to air traffic controllers.

The Boeing 777 experienced an engine failure after being cleared for takeoff at around 4:13 p.m. (7:13 p.m. ET) at McCarran International Airport, the airport said.