United Airlines flight returns to Denver, makes emergency landing due to engine fire caused by 'rabbit strike'

A United Airlines flight which took off from the Denver International Airport for Canada's Edmonton, was forced to return to Denver, and made an emergency landing due to fire in one of its engines.
The fire was reportedly due to the engine striking an animal, possibly a rabbit. The incident occurred shortly after the flight departed on Sunday.
"It looks like you got, every once in awhile, little bursts of flame coming out the right engine,” an air traffic controller communicated to the flight crew over the radio, according to news agency AP.

“We think we lost our right motor,” a crew member replied.
On being told it was a rabbit which apparently got sucked into the engine, the pilot responded, "Rabbit through the number 2, that'll do it."
United Flight 2325, being operated by a Boeing 737-800, was carrying 153 passengers and six crew members, Denver International Airport said in a statement, adding that there were no reports of injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the fire.
Animals, particularly birds, hitting airplanes isn't uncommon, with nearly 20,000 strikes reported in 2023, according to an FAA report. In the most extreme cases over the years, collisions with wildlife killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft between 1988 and 2023 in the United States.