A man caught fire at Melbourne International Airport after a Lithium Power Bank in his pocket accidentally left him with his leg and fingers.
The man, aged in his 50s, was in the Qantas Business Lounge on Thursday morning when the overloaded power bank erupted in smoke and prompted about 150 people to be evacuated.
Staff quickly helped the man into the shower before paramedics arrived to treat his injuries. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition and later released.
One witness said they saw “battery acid flying everywhere,” according to The Age newspaper. A Qantas spokesperson said the Lounge was cleaned and reopened two hours later.
Australian film producer Leanne Tonkes was in the Lounge on Thursday morning when she heard the commotion. He posted an image of the time bomb at Bansa Bank after it exploded.
“Hope the person who caught fire holding it is ok,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Quick thinking from the man who jumped in to help and the staff who got him into the shower and others who came from the lounge.”
Qantas is currently reviewing its policy on passengers carrying any type of lithium batteries, including portable power banks, and is expected to provide an update soon.
Many airlines now advise passengers traveling with power banks to keep them within reach – either in their seat pocket or in a bag under the seat.
In July, a fire broke out on a Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Hobart, which contained a Power Bank in an overhead locker.
The airline is looking to update the policy and customers are asked to keep portable power banks “in sight and within easy reach” during flights.
A portable Power Bank was also likely the cause of a fire that engulfed and destroyed a passenger plane in South Korea in January.
Many international airlines such as Emirates, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Korean Air and Singapore Airlines and charging them for flights.
There are also limits on how many rechargeable battery passengers can maintain based on their capacity. For example, some airlines only allow two power banks with a capacity between 100WH and 160WH.