One hundred passengers aboard a Venezuela-bound commercial passenger plane got the scare of their lives when their plane caught on fire upon takeoff in Florida on Thursday.

Federal officials say that the Dynamic Airways Boeing 767 caught fire on the runway while preparing for departure from the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, reports NBC News. The incident occurred when a taxiing engine burst into flames on Dynamic International Airways' flight 405.

"It was a real scare," said Luis Campana, a 71-year-old rancher who was on the plane, to Reuters. "The engine exploded. As we were getting out of the plane down the chute, the smoke was beginning to enter and the engine was in flames," he said.

Firefights managed to put out the blaze with foam. Meanwhile, the 100 passengers evacuated via the plane's emergency slides, reports WSVN

Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but about 21 travelers were taken to Broward Health Medical Center where they were treated for mostly minor injuries.

"We averted disaster today," Broward County Aviation Department spokesman Greg Meyer said.

"This is something we train for," said Broward County Sheriff and Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles, adding that the fire "could have been very easily much worse."

The airport was closed for most of the afternoon following the incident, causing 42 flights to be cancelled and 187 others to be delayed.

According to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration, occupants on another plane reported seeing fuel leaking from its left engine of the flight before it went up in flames.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it will investigate the matter.

Dynamic Airways also released a statement, saying the flight had been "safely diverted" following an "engine problem."

The 30-year-old plane was first used in 1986 by Kuwait Airways and has since been owned by several other airlines.