ATR 72 'HOT BRAKE' INDICATION ANNUNCIATED WHILE FLC WAS TAXIING FOR DEP. THE ACFT WAS STOPPED; AND THE FLC NOTICED THAT THE L TIRE PLUGS HAD BLOWN. PAX WERE DEPLANED.

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DURING TAXI OUT THE IOE RECEIVING CAPT REMARKED THE ACFT SEEMED TO REQUIRE MORE PWR TO TAXI. INITIALLY I CONTRIBUTED THIS TO THE ACFT POSSIBLY BEING HEAVIER OR GOING SLIGHTLY UPHILL. I THEN WORKED THE PWR FROM THE R SIDE AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY ABNORMALITIES. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE 'HOT BRAKE' LIGHT CAME ON. WE LET THE ACFT COME TO A STOP. I ASKED THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TO CHK BOTH MAIN WHEELS FROM INSIDE THE ACFT FOR POSSIBLE SMOKE OR FIRE. NONE WAS RPTED. WE DECIDED ON A NORMAL DEPLANING. AS A PRECAUTION WE CALLED FOR FIRE DEPT ASSISTANCE. I ALSO WENT OUT TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE WHEELS MYSELF. JUST OBSERVED A MINOR PUFF OF SMOKE. (IN THE MEANTIME 2 FLAT TIRES WERE RPTED ON L SIDE OF ACFT.) SUBSEQUENTLY ALL PAX WERE DEPLANED THROUGH THE MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR WITH OUR ASSISTANCE (FLT ATTENDANTS AND FIRE DEPT). CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACFT INVOLVED IS AN ATR 72. THE CAUSE OF THE BRAKE PROB IS STILL A MYSTERY. THE TIRE PROTECTION SYS DETECTED A HIGH ENOUGH TEMP THAT THE PLUGS WERE AUTOMATICALLY BLOWN. A SIMILAR INCIDENT OCCURRED WITH THE SAME ACFT; ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE; AND EXTENSIVE FIRE DAMAGE RESULTED. THE COMPANY FILED A SEPARATE RPT REGARDING THAT INCIDENT; TO THE NTSB.