American Airlines Plane Catches Fire at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, 20 Passengers hospitalised
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Tony Molinaro initially said no-one was hurt, but later said minor injuries had been reported.
Mr Molinaro said the pilot aborted take-off and everyone was evacuated.
American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said in a brief statement that the plane had "an engine-related mechanical issue".
She said seven passengers and a flight attendant with minor injuries were taken to a hospital to be evaluated, after 161 passengers and nine crew members were ferried by bus from the runway to the terminal.
Social media posts and television reports showed a large plume of black smoke coming from the Boeing 767.
Passenger Sarah Ahmed told WLS-TV the plane was speeding down the runway when she heard an explosion and saw flames and black smoke.
She said everyone on the right side of the aircraft jumped from their seats and moved to the left side.
"People are yelling, 'Open the door! Open the door!' Everyone's screaming and jumping on top of each other to open the door," Ahmed said.
"Within that time, I think it was seven seconds, there was now smoke in the plane and the fire is right up against the windows, and it's melting the windows."
A video from the scene filmed by passenger Hector Gustavo Cardenas showed passengers scrambling for the exit and leaving via an inflatable slide, as smoke engulfed the body of the plane.
The Chicago Fire Department tweeted that it was responding to the scene.
A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman said the board was aware of the incident but had not made a decision on whether to investigate.
Meanwhile, a FedEx cargo plane has caught fire while landing at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. Both pilots escaped unharmed.
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