The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of a fire which engulfed a Dynamic Airways jet on the runway at Fort Lauderdale.
The Boeing 767 jet, bound for Venezuela, was reportedly leaking fuel on the runway before igniting, prompting a full scale evacuation.
Twenty-one people were taken Broward Health Medical Center although no injuries were considered life threatening.
Air traffic control was alerted by another plane which reported seeing fuel leaking from the left engine, a Federal Aviation Administration statement said.
"An aircraft taxiing behind the Boeing 767 reported that fuel was leaking from the aircraft before the fire started. Passengers evacuated via slides onto the taxiway," the FAA said.
"We averted disaster today," said Broward County Aviation Department spokesman Greg Meyer.
The incident and resulting clean-up operation closed down the airport for several hours, causing 42 flight cancelations and delaying dozens more.
