The Transportation Safety Board is investigating after a Buffalo Airways C-46 airplane caught fire after it blew an engine while taxiing down the runway at the Yellowknife airport around 8 a.m.

The plane was bound to pick up freight in Hay River when its right engine caught fire.

Buffalo Airways says the airport fire crew was quick to respond and none of the airplane's three crew members were hurt.

The plane was briefly blocking both runways, until it was given the all-clear to move from the Transportation Safety Board.

Mikey McBryan, of N.W.T.'s Buffalo Airways, says another Buffalo plane was delayed from landing at the Yellowknife airport due to the fire in the C-46 on the runway. (CBC)

Mikey McBryan with Buffalo Airways said the fire did cause disruptions.

"It happened right at the intersection of the airport and my father was in a DC-3 coming in with a plane of passengers and he actually had to circle the airport waiting for us to clear the airplane so he could land, so it essentially shut the airport for 20 minutes."

A number of flights were delayed following the incident.

TSB officials will now have a look at the C-46 to find out exactly what went wrong.