Incident Overview
As the airplane leveled off at 10,000 feet, the left engine fire warning light illuminated. The flight crew declared an emergency and proceeded to shut down the left engine. Despite the shutdown, the fire warning light remained illuminated, prompting the discharge of a fire bottle. The light persisted, so a second fire bottle was discharged, but the warning light still remained illuminated.
Final Approach and Landing
On final approach, the fire warning light finally extinguished. No visible fire was observed from the cabin or by the control tower. The subsequent landing was uneventful. After touchdown, fire department personnel met the aircraft and determined there was some residual smoke but that the fire was extinguished. The airplane taxied to the gate, and passengers deplaned via the jetway.
Engine Examination
Post-flight examination of the left engine revealed that a flex line routed near the thrust reverser had failed. This failure caused a fuel leak, and a hole had burned through the shroud surrounding the hot section of the engine.