F-35A Fighter Catches Fire at Idaho Base

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An F-35A fighter has caught fire at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in the US state of Idaho, the US Air Force has informed.

"The pilot had to egress the aircraft during engine start due to a fire from the aft section of the aircraft," Air Force spokesman Capt. Mark Graff said in a written statement provided to Defense News.

The incident occurred at around noon on Friday. According to Graff, the fire was quickly extinguished and no serious injuries were sustained by the pilot or the crew.

"As a precautionary measure, four 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit Airmen, three Airmen from the 366th Maintenance Group and the 61st Fighter Squadron pilot were transported to the base medical center for standard evaluation," Graff said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

According to Defense News, there are currently seven F-35A aircraft from the Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, deployed at the Mountain Home base for the September 10-24 surface-to-air training.