Smoking Backpack Clears Plane In Phoenix

PHOENIX -- Smoke coming from a backpack forced passengers off a US Airways plane at Sky Harbor International Airport, aviation officials said.

The A-17 gate area in Terminal 4 also was evacuated Tuesday morning as a precaution, according to airport spokesperson Julie Rodriguez.

A luggage handler was loading bags and noticed that a piece of luggage was hot, aviation officials said. The baggage handler placed the bag to the side and did not load it onto the plane.

A hazard materials team from the Phoenix Fire Department responded as a precaution. Authorities checked the bag and said there were no explosives in the piece of luggage.

Phoenix police Lt. Rick Gehlbach said the backpack likely began to smoke after it got jammed between two larger pieces of luggage on a conveyor belt.

The impact probably caused toiletries containing alcohol to leak, and a combination of heat from the conveyor belt and its track rubbing against the backpack caused it to catch fire, Gehlbach said.

The fire was extinguished quickly, Gehlbach said.

"When the bomb squad arrived, everything was melted in the bag," said Victor Rangel, a spokesman for the Phoenix Fire Department.

Rangel said the contents of the backpack included hairspray and other toiletries.

The owner of the suitcase was being questioned by police.

Passengers were boarding the plane at the time of the incident.

The plane, bound for San Antonio, was moved to another gate where passengers were allowed to re-board. Flight 200 departed from Sky Harbor an hour later, police said.

There were no flight delays, Rodriguez said.