Sri Lanka, July 27 -- An American Airlines flight was forced to abort takeoff at the Denver airport on Saturday after a landing gear malfunction led to fire and smoke on the runway.

An emergency evacuation followed, and all 173 passengers were safely taken out.

One person suffered a minor injury, authorities said.

AA-3023, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, was bound for Miami when the incident occurred. It suffered a maintenance issue with the tire, the airline later said.

Dramatic rescue footage showed the panic-stricken passengers sliding down from the plane while the landing gear was seen on fire. Smoke filled the entire area as the passengers came out one by one.

The aircraft reported a possible landing gear incident while...