Man gets arrested because of matches on plane

BOSTON - A man from Maine who struck a match on a U.S. Airways flight to Boston's Logan International Airport is facing some heat - but not over the matches.

Massachusetts State Police detained 50-year-old Paul Prater of Sanford on Wednesday after questioning him on an outstanding identity fraud warrant from Canton, Ga.

State police spokesman David Procopio said no charges have been brought for the match lighting, which Prater said was an accident.

Prater told investigators the match ignited when he pulled a package from his pocket during the flight from Washington, D.C. He quickly snuffed the flame.

Prater pleaded not guilty Thursday in East Boston District Court to a fugitive charge. He was held on $5,000 bail and ordered to return to Georgia within five days to clear the warrant.

It was unclear if he had hired an attorney.