Fire spotted on parked Boeing 787 in Boston

Fire broke out Monday on a Boeing Co. 787 while it was parked Logan International Airport in Boston.

A mechanic spotted smoke coming from the underbelly of the 787, operated by Japan Airlines, after passengers and crew members had exited off the aircraft.

Massachusetts Port Authority Chief Bob Donahue says he thinks the fire in the jet’s auxiliary battery system started after the airplane had already landed. The fire was quickly brought under control, he said.

“Fire was in a compartment with batteries and other electrical components,” the Boston Fire Dept., which assisted in responding to the fire, wrote on Twitter.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital after the blaze was extinguished, said a spokesman for Massport, operator of Boston’s Logan International Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board, an aviation safety watchdog group, said it is opening an investigation into the fire.

Japan Airlines began nonstop service between Boston and Tokyo’s Narita Airport using the new Boeing 787 in April.

The 787 involved in the fire had carried 173 passengers and 11 crew members Monday. The aircraft was to fly back to Tokyo later Monday.

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner consists of mostly carbon fiber composite materials rather than aluminum. The Dreamliner has been in commercial service since late 2011. The NTSB previously has investigated incidents involving the 787’s engines.

A 787 operated by United Airlines made an emergency landing last year when a generator failed. Pilots on that aircraft worried a fire had broken out in the electrical bay of the Dreamliner.

Jim McNerney, Boeing’s chief executive, previously described the incidents with the 787 as “normal introductory squawks” for a new jet.

A Boeing spokesman said on Monday that the company is aware of the latest incident and is working with Japan Airlines.

Boston Fire Dept. has several photos of Monday’s incident involving the Japan Airlines 787 on its Twitter feed: @BostonFire.