Firefighters responded to a grassfire at Sydney Airport after a Qantas flight suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff.

The Brisbane-bound Boeing 737-800 made an emergency landing on Friday with only one working engine.

Fire crews found small metal fragments in the grass along Runway 34R, where the plane experienced the failure.

Superintendent Mark Jenkins of Airservices Australia said the grassfire stretched along most of the 2.4-kilometer runway.

Sixteen firefighters battled the blaze, which was fanned by strong winds, alongside support from Fire and Rescue NSW.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the incident and has collected fragments from the engine for analysis.