If you need more reasons not to check-in batteries, this would be it.
Last February 25, a carry-on bag caught fire aboard South China Airlines flight CZ3539 bound for Shanghai, China.
In this video uploaded by the China Aviation Review, the flight attendants can be seen dousing the flame with bottles of water and juice.
Power bank fire on board China Southern CZ3539, Feb 25 2018.😱😱 pic.twitter.com/cby6E62qRv
— ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) February 25, 2018
Passengers were first alarmed when they saw smoke coming out from one of the overhead cabins. When the flight’s cabin crew came to check on the smoke, they found the bag in flames.
Passengers within the vicinity of the burning bag immediately vacated their seats and the flight attendants took action to remedy the situation.
Although the fire was put out, both the passengers and the airline crew seem visibly shaken from the ordeal.
It was reported that a replacement aircraft took three hours to arrive and transport passengers to Shanghai.
Later, it was also discovered that the cause of the fire was from a powerbank found inside the bag. The item, however, was not in use when it caused the fire.
Since the video of the incident was uploaded to Twitter, a number of netizens couldn’t help but express their dissatisfaction over the way the airline and crew handled the situation.
Through it all, we’re just really glad that the crisis was averted and no one was hurt in the process. And maybe next time, the airlines can provide the proper safety equipment and procedure to avoid further situations like this in the future.