'So Many People, So Scared': Ryanair Flight Evacuated After Phone Charger Ignites
A Ryanair flight from Barcelona to Ibizia was evacuated on Tuesday when a passenger's cell phone charger caught on fire.
The phone caught fire while it was being charged by a portable battery pack, which ignited the initial flames, Ryanair told Newsweek. Fortunately, the incident occurred before takeoff, and — thanks to a fast-moving passenger — was quickly extinguished before it could do serious damage.
The phone, however, was charred to a crisp.
All passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft via the emergency inflatable slides. Ryanair said it put the passengers on a different plane, and they were eventually flown to Ibizia.
Passenger Anthony Carrio posted a video of the fiery incident on Instagram. He said he was sitting in the same row as the flyer with the charger, and after it ignited, he'd "never seen so many people so scared."
Just one lithium battery, if left in the cargo hold, can take a commercial plane down, according to a new study by the FAA. Especially if the flames mix with other flammable items like aerosol spray or other cosmetics, the plane could rapidly catch fire. Airlines instruct passengers to keep all items with lithium batteries, like cell phones and laptops, with them in the cabin so if they do overheat and ignite, they can be extinguished by flight crew.
Featured photo by Shutterstock.com
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