Monday, November 15, 2004 · Last updated 8:49 p.m. PT

Five hurt battling fire on plane in Boston

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON -- A fire was discovered aboard a British Airways flight shortly after it landed at Logan International Airport on Monday night, and five firefighters were injured battling the blaze, officials said.

The firefighters complained of burning in their throats and eyes, MassPort spokesman Phil Orlandella said. Four were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

None of the 219 passengers or 14 crew members were hurt.

"There was never any threat to the airplane while it was flying," British Airways spokesman John Lampl said. "There was no threat to the passengers' security."

It was unclear what caused the fire, but it had "nothing to do with terrorism," Orlandella said.

The captain of the London-to-Boston Flight 239 called the Logan control tower after the Boeing 777 landed around 9:30 p.m. and said a cockpit indicator showed a fire in the avionics compartment on the underside of the plane.

"They were already de-planing when this fire happened," Orlandella said.

The avionics compartment holds instruments that help the pilots steer and fly the aircraft, including the radio and compass, Lampl said.

It was unclear what substance caused the firefighters' injuries, Orlandella said.

It was a B777 G-VIIU  (taken from a report on yahoo groups list called WorldACARSLogs)

G-VIIU (B777 BAW) 20041115 1954 BA0239 (London/Heathrow-Boston/Logan Intl)