Your media may have screwed up and got it right this time.
From the tower tapes at LiveATC.net, sounds like UA 1579 finally gets to the hold point for 22R after waiting in a long queue and is cleared into position. They say they will need an extra minute, the tower has the expected impatient reply and has them hold short. It sounds like they say they have an had an engine unspool and have done a restart. The tower asks if they want to go back to the ramp and they say they want to check things out (one of the aircraft on ground was told they were number 24 around the same time). Tower says OK, taxi right on 22R, left on Y, left on P and sit on the other side.
As they start to taxi, aircraft behind reports flames from the engine, then engine still on fire.
Tower says let me know if you want to evacuate, followed by sending the equipment. A bizjet gets to taxi into Signature, give way to the fire trucks. They evacuate, then the airport is closed, traffic on final goes around, pax on runway etc.
Another day at the office, life in the Big City, this is why we practice these drills, right?
Action at the end of this clip:
http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ke...2017-0030Z.mp3
and the beginning of this one:
http://archive-server.liveatc.net/ke...2017-0100Z.mp3