Power bank may have caused fire on Virgin Australia flight

A Virgin Australia flight was plunged into chaos this week after a passenger’s bag caught fire inside an overhead bin just as the plane was descending into the city of Hobart, Australia, the airline said yesterday.

- MARK WALKER LIVIA ALBECK-RIPKA

The fire, which started around 9 am on Monday on flight VA1528 from Sydney, is believed to have been ignited by a portable battery inside the bag, although the cause remains under investigation, the airline said. Members of the cabin crew extinguished the flames before the plane landed, the airline said. No passengers or crew members were injured.

Power banks are typically powered by lithium-ion batteries, which have also been used for decades to power smartphones and laptops, and are commonly used in portable power banks. But batteries that are damaged, overcharged, overheated or otherwise defective can catch fire. In recent years, the number of these episodes onboard planes has increased, prompting some of the world’s biggest airlines to change their regulations regarding the devices.