220 evacuated in aircraft fire drama

About 220 passengers aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Chicago were forced to evacuate a Boeing 767 jet when at least one tyre caught fire upon landing at O’Hare International Airport.

Chicago Fire Department spokesman Quention Curtis said the passengers and 12-man crew were evacuated from the plane by emergency slide last Friday.

American Airlines said it did not yet know what caused the incident and was working with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Mr Curtis says it was not immediately clear how many tyres caught fire, though the right-side landing gear was aflame. He said eight people were treated at the scene for minor injuries.