Watch as fire breaks out on passenger plane when portable charger bursts into flames, filling Singapore flight with smoke and leaving two people injured

• Charger exploded on a Scoot airlines flight from Taiwan to Singapore yesterday
• The plane was preparing for takeoff when the charger erupted into flames
• Two passengers received minor burns but all 189 people were safely evacuated 

Two passengers aboard a flight to Singapore were injured after a portable charger caught fire as the plane was preparing for takeoff yesterday.

Alarming footage taken from an unnamed passenger’s phone and circulated on social media shows flight attendants attempting to keep distressed people calm as the fire and smoke begins to cause panic.

The fire started when a power bank spontaneously ignited and quickly filled the air with smoke, forcing all 189 passengers and crew to evacuate the aircraft which was taxiing to depart from Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan at around 7:35pm local time.

Two people aboard Flight TR993 received minor burns, but all other passengers were evacuated unharmed.

Panicked passengers watch on as the cabin fills with smoke after a portable charger exploded

One of the victims was the owner of the rechargeable power bank, which exploded when it overheated, causing the fire.

The other person injured was reportedly his companion.

Passengers described seeing bright orange flames burst out on row 16 where the pair were sitting, forcing pilots to abandon takeoff.

Both burn victims received a medical evaluation after the evacuation which concluded they did not require any hospital treatment and they were cleared for travelling.

The plane, which managed to return safely to the gate after the fire was put out, underwent proper inspections and then resumed its flight later that evening.

Further investigations into the incident are underway according to a statement released by the airline Scoot.

The statement added: ‘Scoot sincerely apologises for the incident. The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority.’

One of the victims was the owner of the rechargeable power bank, which exploded when it overheated, causing the fire on row 16 (pictured)

Cabin crew remained calm and professional throughout, escorting people away from the fire while other attendants located the fire extinguisher

Meanwhile, passenger Angie Ton told Channel News Asia that Scoot’s air stewards deserved praise for handling the dangerous situation in such a professional manner. 

‘Props to those flight attendants because they knew exactly what to do,’ she said.

‘They deserve recognition for their training, hard work, and calm attitude.’

The flight attendants first told passengers to step back from the fire and calm down as they escorted people away from the blaze.

Another flight attendant then brought a fire extinguisher and the fire was put out within three minutes, said Ms Ton.

By that point the cabin had been filled with smoke but the crew turned on ventilators and the smog was quickly cleared before evacuations began.  

Source: Read Full Article