“Tower, Frontier 4345, we’re stopping on the runway. Uh, we just hit somebody… we have an engine fire.” That transmission crackling over air traffic control audio Friday night after a Frontier Airlines jet struck a person on the runway during takeoff, triggering panic onboard and a fiery emergency evacuation. It happened shortly after 11:15 p.m. as Frontier Flight 4345 was accelerating for departure. According to officials and air traffic control audio, the aircraft hit an individual who was somehow on the runway during takeoff. The person who was struck was killed, according to reports. An official says the victim was at least partially pulled into one of the plane’s engines, sparking a brief fire that firefighters later extinguished. Inside the cabin, passengers reportedly began noticing smoke as pilots slammed the brakes and stopped the Airbus A321 on the runway. Emergency slides were deployed and travelers evacuated directly onto the tarmac before being bused back to the terminal. The flight was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members. Officials said at least one passenger was hurt during the evacuation, though no major injuries onboard were immediately confirmed. Moments after the impact, the crew warned air traffic control that conditions onboard were deteriorating. “We’ve got smoke on the aircraft, we’re gonna evacuate on the runway,” the pilot said. Authorities still do not know why the person was on the runway in the middle of an active takeoff zone. A source briefed on the investigation told ABC News the individual does not appear connected to nearby construction work taking place around another runway area. The runway was shut down following the incident as investigators combed through the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and Frontier says it is coordinating with airport officials to determine exactly what happened. Frontier called the incident “deeply saddening” in a statement released early Saturday morning. The flight to Los Angeles has since been rescheduled.