Flight Attendant Extinguished The Fire, No Injuries To Passengers

A fire reportedly caused by a lithium-ion battery in a carry-on bag broke out on a KLM airliner arriving at Bangkok from Amsterdam Sunday.

The U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail reports that the fire was quickly detected and extinguished by a flight attendant at the plane taxied to its gate at Bangkok. A KLM spokesman said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

The spokesman told the paper that "There was a short fire on board in one of the overhead luggage compartments for hand luggage and our crew made sure that the fire was put out. After that all passengers and crew left the plane safely."

The crew of the Boeing 777 with 321 passengers and crew on board was praised for their quick action during the incident.

KLM's policy on lithium-ion batteries says they may only be transported in carry-on luggage, and loose batteries must be in their original packaging with battery contact points covered by tape, then packed in sealed plastic bags. It is similar to the policies of other airlines.

KLM said the plane would be thoroughly inspected before it was returned to service.

(Image from Twitter user @Accone)

FMI: www.klm.com