Power Bank Blaze Delays Shanghai-Bound Flight in China

It was a fiery start for China Southern Airlines’ flight CZ3539 from Guangzhou to Shanghai yesterday, February 25, when a piece of luggage burst into flames in an overhead compartment.

The incident occurred during boarding, according to Chinanews.com. Passengers noticed smoke spewing from an overhead bin into the plane’s cabin; a video making the rounds online shows flames streaming from a black bag.

In the footage, a stewardess and passenger try to extinguish the flames using bottles of water and juice. According to local media reports, no injuries resulted from the kerfuffle.

Watch the incident below (VPN off):

Outside China? Watch on YouTube.

A preliminary investigation has revealed that the fire was caused by a power bank that was stored inside the aforementioned black carry-on bag, and was not in use. The traveler who owned the luggage was taken away for questioning by authorities as part of their investigation into the incident.

Passengers were eventually able to depart Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 2.53pm, almost three hours after the originally scheduled departure time, according to Channel News Asia. 

[Cover image via Weibo]