On October 20th, at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, a flight arriving from Tianjin caught fire inside the jet bridge as passengers were disembarking. The fire, suspected to have been caused by a power bank (portable charger) self-igniting, was quickly extinguished a few minutes later.
Witnesses reported that at 4:28 pm on October 20th, flight CA2821 from Tianjin to Shanghai arrived at Hongqiao Airport. As passengers were exiting the aircraft, a passenger’s backpack caught fire while passing through the jet bridge.
One witness described seeing smoke coming from the side of a passenger’s backpack as they entered the jet bridge, likening it to dry ice. After alerting the passenger and others nearby, the situation escalated quickly, with visible flames emerging shortly after.
“The fire escalated rapidly, engulfed in thick smoke, filling the enclosed bridge. People were trying to evacuate from behind as others were trying to move forward. Staff hadn’t arrived yet, and for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe and was about to suffocate,” said Mr. Xu. Passengers shouted for a fire extinguisher, and an airport staff member arrived promptly to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher, opened windows for ventilation, and began evacuating passengers.
Another passenger, Mr. Wang, stated that he was stuck inside the aircraft for approximately 20 minutes before being able to exit.
According to the Shanghai Fire Department, preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was caused by a power bank self-igniting.