Plane Lands At BWI After Smoke Alarm Goes Off In Bathroom

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The pilot of a Southwest flight declared an emergency during a flight into BWI from Fort Lauderdale.

The bathroom fire detector went off on Southwest flight 3654.

The airline says a passenger used an e-cigarette and the vapor set off the alarm.

The flight landed safely.

In a statement, Southwest said, "Out of an abundance of caution, the Pilot in command of Southwest Airlines Flight #3654 from Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore/Washington declared an emergency when the fire detector in the forward lav went off. The flight landed safely at Baltimore/Washington. The aircraft was met by emergency vehicles on the taxiway, and the 118 Customers and 5 Crew members remained onboard as the fire department and law enforcement gathered more information. It was determined that a Customer used an electronic cigarette in the forward lav, and the vapor set off the fire detector. Our Employees in Baltimore took great care of our Customers as they deplaned, and assisted Customers with making connections, or being re-accomodated as needed."