Smartphone catches fire on plane, more than 200 passengers narrowly escape

A passenger's smartphone caught fire on a British Airways flight during takeoff preparations. The flight was flying from Tokyo to London, and the incident caused panic among passengers. The plane was initially diverted to the runway and returned to the parking stand when smoke was seen in the cabin shortly before takeoff. The crew later brought the fire under control.

According to NDTV, the incident occurred on a London-bound British Airways flight during takeoff preparations at Haneda Airport on June 18, according to People Magazine. The Independent reported that smoke was seen coming from inside the cabin as the plane started moving toward the runway shortly after 1 p.m. local time on the day of the incident.

This news was released based on information from Japan's Ministry of Transport and the Tokyo Fire Department. Authorities said the source of the smoke was a smartphone in a passenger's luggage. The phone caught fire, filling the cabin with smoke.

Japan Today reported that a crew member noticed smoke in the cabin and alerted authorities. The cabin crew quickly took action to control the fire using the aircraft's fire extinguishers. As a result, the situation did not turn into a major disaster.

After the incident, air traffic control ordered the plane to return to the parking stand as a precautionary measure. Firefighters and emergency services personnel boarded the plane and inspected the cabin. The situation was later declared safe.

According to Japanese authorities, there were 211 people on board the flight, including passengers and crew. No one was injured in the incident. Later, after safety checks were completed, the plane was cleared to take off and the flight departed for London, about an hour late.

Meanwhile, British Airways said in a statement to People magazine, "The safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority." The flight was safely operated and passengers disembarked the aircraft normally.

This is the second incident of a mobile phone catching fire on a British Airways flight in the same week, according to the report.

A few days ago, a mobile phone caught fire during takeoff on a British Airways flight from London to Las Vegas. It reportedly burned the interior of the cabin and forced the crew to call for help before landing.