CHARLESTON, S.C.  (Metro)  -- An investigation is launched into a malfunction that caused debris to be ejected from a G.E. engine on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner over the weekend, causing a grass fire at the Charleston, South Carolina airport. 

A G.E. spokesman says material was jettisoned from the back of the engine during Saturday's preflight testing of the Dreamliner, which was built at the Boeing campus in North Charleston. 

Nearly 860 orders for the 787s have been placed with Boeing as of the end of June. 

Rick Kennedy with G.E. says about 100 of the jets with G.E. engines are in service and are performing with no problems.

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