Airbus catches fire at Sea-Tac Airport

An American Airlines airbus caught fire before it was scheduled to depart Sea-Tac International Airport on Wednesday.

American Airlines told KIRO 7 News in a statement that 151 passengers and six crew members were on board. No one was injured.

SeaTac airport spokesman Brian DeRoy says the Airbus 320 was scheduled to depart to Philadelphia at 8:10 a.m. when the fire broke out.

An Instagram user posted that the plane was about to take off and someone noticed smoke coming out of the tail.

DeRoy says flight 728 was on the taxiway going toward the runway when smoke started coming out of the back of the plane.

Sea-Tac Airport officials report the fire started underneath the side of the plane.

The fire was reported in the Auxillary Power Unit (APU).

A plane's APU is located on the back of the aircraft. It's the small engine that is used to power-up the plane's systems and engines.

The Port of Seattle Fire Department responded to putout the fire. The aircraft was taxied back to the gate. It was rescheduled to depart at 11 a.m.

"Our maintenance team is currently inspecting the APU. We apologize to our passengers for the inconvenience," an American Airlines spokesperson said.

Cox Media Group