Midway jet evacuated at Reagan National Airport after smoke alarm

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A Midway regional jet was evacuated Thursday at Reagan National Airport after a warning light indicated possible smoke in a cargo bay, but it proved to be a false alarm, authorities said.

As a precaution, the pilot requested the immediate evacuation of the 50 passengers shortly the plane arrived from Raleigh Durham airport, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said.

Firemen inspected the craft and found no problem, said Jonathan Gaffney, an airports authority spokesman.

"People just walked off the plane onto a bus. Everybody's fine," he said.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

See related sites about US

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.