( CNN ) -- Officials said a British Airways jet had to be evacuated Friday at a Phoenix , Arizona , airport after smoke was reported in the cabin . British Airways Flight 288 , headed to London 's Heathrow Airport , had departed the gate for the runway , but returned after passengers detected odors strong enough to cause alarm , said Capt . Shelly Jamison , spokeswoman of the Phoenix Fire Department . The Boeing 747-400 was next to the terminal when emergency chutes flew open for the 298 passengers to evacuate , officials said . About 100 firefighters and emergency medical personnel were dispatched to Phoenix 's Sky Harbor International Airport about 8 p.m. ( 11 p.m . ET ) , she said . Jamison said about 15 people suffered injuries , mainly cuts and bruises . She also said a person experiencing shoulder pain was taken to a local hospital . Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera , but could not determine a source of a fire , Jamison said . Jamison said the smoke may have been caused by electrical problems . The airlines ' engineering staff was examining the aircraft and the staff in Phoenix was assisting stranded passengers with hotel rooms , British Airways spokesman Richard Goodfellow said .
London-bound plane was evacuated Friday after smoke reported in cabin . Passengers , crew used emergency chutes to leave plane . The incident happened at London's Heathrow Airport on a flight from New York City bound for London Heathrow.