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Breaking: HazMat Team to Check Smoking Suitcase At Phoenix's Sky Harbor

by PEP | November 13, 2007 at 02:21 pm | 503 views | 2 comments

Update: Definitely, file this one under "weird and weirder."

The luggage turned out to be a backpack, which emitted flames and smoke. According to News 12 in Phoenix:

"Authorities did not discover any explosives but believed that
toiletries and friction were the cause of the unusual fire. After
seeing wear marks on the bag, airport police theorized that the red
backpack got stuck on the landing belt between two larger bags.

The continuous movement of the belt heated up the bag. The heat, in
combination with chemicals that could have been released from
toiletries in the backpack, could have caused the fire."

Officials said that had the fire erupted after being put onboard in the cargo hold, a major problem could have occurred. Both the hazmat and bomb squads were called out.

The plane finally took off after about a two-hour delay.

Developing story. News wanted!

A gate was evacuated at Sky Harbor airport after smoke was seen coming from a suitcase in the cargo area.

A plane, being loaded and preparing for departure in gate A-17 in Terminal 4, evacuated all passengers on a US Airways flight around 10 a.m., according to Julie Rodriguez, spokeswoman for Sky Harbor International Airport.