In November, more than 100 passengers boarded a Southwest Airlines flight departing from Denver. Suddenly, the crew told everyone to exit the airplane immediately. A cell phone battery sparked a fire in the cabin.

“Leave your bags”

As the confused and worried passengers slowly stood to deboard, some opened the overhead compartments to gather their carry-ons. The message to abandon their possessions and get off the aircraft repeated over and over. “Leave your stuff, get out!” someone yells as cell phone footage pans over to a woman clutching her carry-on in the cramped aisle.

Shouting, backpacks shuffling, and a crying child fill the scene. Passengers stand in the aisle, unable to move toward the front door. “We can’t move!” says a woman stuck in her seat due to the surrounding foot traffic.

Finally, someone calls out that the fire is out.

A flight attendant has a message for airplane passengers

Fox 4 News shared the footage, provided by Catherine Rios, on social media. Of the many comments, a flight attendant’s words quickly gained more than a thousand likes:

“As a flight attendant there is nothing that angers me MORE than this. Look at the chaos starting to ensue bc of bags, and by grabbing your bags [you’re] blocking egress to happen,” she writes.

“It only takes about 60 seconds for everyone to get off (without bags) but 20 min with everyone grabbing bags,” she explains.

“Let that sink in if it were an even bigger fire.”

“You just killed your fellow passengers and FAs in the back,” she says. It’s a strong message – after all, nothing in a carry-on is worth a life.

If you’re told to exit an airplane and leave your bags, folks, listen to the crew. They’re guiding you with safety in mind, not convenience. Ignore the overhead compartments and work to exit quickly.