Airplane catches fire before takeoff in Seattle
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Sea-Tac airport spokesman says all passengers were safely evacuated after a United Airlines plane caught fire before taking off.
The Seattle Times reports that firefighters responding on Saturday discovered flames coming from the auxiliary power unit of United flight 776, a Boeing 757 that was scheduled to depart at 10:30 p.m., bound for Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
Sea-Tac spokesman Perry Cooper says firefighters extinguished the flames, and the plane was evacuated. A preliminary investigation indicated that the fire might be traceable to residual oil in the auxiliary power unit, which is located in the plane's tail.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The plane was towed to cargo services for further investigation.
United's website indicated that the flight's passengers were to be put on another plane a couple of hours later.
The plane that caught fire came to Sea-Tac from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the airline's website said.