CNN.com - Fire forces UPS plane to make emergency landing

Firefighters battle the blaze on the plane at Philadelphia International Airport.

(CNN) -- A UPS cargo plane made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport early Wednesday after a fire broke out on board.

Flames were seen coming from the cargo area of the DC-8 when it landed.

UPS Flight 1307 landed at 12:22 a.m. "after reporting a lower cargo and main deck smoke situation," the company said in a written statement.

It took emergency responders more than four hours to douse the fire, said Mark Giuffre, a spokesman for UPS. (Watch how intense the flames were -- :40)

The airport, which is usually open 24 hours per day, was shut when the plane landed, and was slated to reopen at 6 a.m., using only three of its four runways, he said. "The fire's been put out; they're just checking the aircraft now."

The plane's three crew members were taken to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, where they were treated for smoke inhalation. Giuffre said they were released by 4 a.m. "They're all OK and safe," he said.

He added that the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate.

The plane was on a regularly scheduled Atlanta-to-Philadelphia flight.

With a fleet of 269 jet aircraft and 305 chartered aircraft, UPS is the world's ninth-largest airline. It has never had a crash, Giuffre said.

In 2004, the company delivered 3.6 billion packages and documents in more than 200 countries and territories, according to its Web site.

CNN's Melissa Metzger contributed to this story.

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