E-cigarette ignites fire on flight from Las Vegas to Chicago

An electronic-cigarette caused a small fire on an American Airlines flight from Las Vegas after the plane landed in Chicago on Friday night, the airline said.

Flight 168 left McCarran International Airport for Chicago on Friday afternoon and shortly after it landed a passenger’s electronic cigarette overheated and caused a small fire, American Airlines spokeswoman Leslie Scott said in an emailed statement.

The electronic cigarette was in the passenger’s bag when it overheated, Scott said. Flight attendants quickly extinguished the fire before the plane taxied to the gate.

None of the 138 passengers or six crew members was injured, Scott said. The crew was not based in Las Vegas.

“We are thankful for our flight attendants who quickly put their training to use to keep our passengers safe,” Scott said in the statement.

American Airlines reported the fire to the Federal Aviation Administration, which tracks “thermal runaway events” when a battery overheats, she said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.