Allegiant flight catches fire in Las Vegas, no one injured

A plane caught fire during takeoff at McCarran International Airport on Sunday afternoon.

A McCarran spokeswoman identified the plane as Allegiant Air flight 516 to Fresno, Calif. The plane was on the ground when it caught fire.

A Clark County Fire Department crew responded to the airport at 1:18 p.m. The blaze was small and quickly extinguished, according to the department. No one was injured.

The plane's 159 passengers were bused back to the terminal to get another flight, the airport said. McCarran's website listed flight 516 as delayed until 4:05 p.m.

In a statement, Allegiant called the fire a "mechanical issue" and said the passengers, plus six crew members, used the rear stairs to evacuate. Allegiant said it is investigating the root cause of the issue.

The airline has had a string of high-profile incidents this year, including strikes, maintenance issues and three emergency landings in a two-week period in July and August: a flight from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to Richmond, Va., made an emergency landing in Greensboro, N.C., after what was described as an engine problem on Aug. 3.

An Allegiant Boeing 757, also bound for Fresno, returned to McCarran on Aug. 1 after an engine problem, and an MD-80 jet made an emergency landing in Fargo, N.D., in late July after pilots reported the plane low on fuel.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find him on Twitter: @WesJuhl.