ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – A plane’s cabin was filled with smoke – reportedly from a burning power bank – sparking concern among hundreds of passengers and crew aboard the Batik Air flight.
Fortunately, the aircraft, which had taken off from Johor Bahru at 11.20am, was just 30 minutes away from landing at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok.
A TikTok video posted by kentmaherr, which has racked up more than 2.1 million views, shows smoke coming out from an overhead luggage compartment at the front of the plane.
“All passengers were shocked by the thick smoke coming out of the luggage compartment, with the smell of fire stinging their noses,” he wrote in the video caption.
In the video, three flight attendants are seen running their hands over several overhead baggage compartments, seemingly checking for a source of heat.
Seconds later, they ask some passengers seated directly below the affected compartment to leave their seats before they open the compartment slightly and use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
After several minutes, they open the compartment completely and white smoke pours from it.
The crew assist passengers in removing their bags from the compartment before a man, who had been sitting in the aisle opposite the compartment, stands on a seat to retrieve a black bag.
Holding the bag, he is then escorted to the rear of the plane by a crew member carrying an extinguisher.
Kentmaherr, who noted the situation was brought under control within minutes, thanked the crew for their swift action.
Upon landing at the airport, the fire brigade and ambulances were on standby to ensure the safety of all passengers, kentmaherr added.
“This is the first time I experienced such an incident. I thank Allah for the chance to still be alive!” he said.
In a follow-up live video on February 24, kentmaherr said initially, the smoke looked like “steam” and he was confused as to what caused it.
Seconds later, he realised that it was a fire because the smoke thickened and there was a strong “chemical-like smell”.
He said a passenger went to alert the flight attendants, who were already seated as the plane prepared to land. They immediately rushed to the scene and put out the fire.
“Thankfully, no one on the flight panicked, everyone was calm,” kentmaherr said.
Kentmaherr said he and a few of the passengers followed the man who was escorted to the rear of the plane, and they saw him take a powerbank out of the bag and place it in a container.
One flight attendant, said kentmaherr, poured water from three water mineral water bottles into the container to extinguish the fire, but they had to wait for some time for the smoke to dissipate.
