Brian Niemietz
New York Daily News
(TNS)
A United Airlines flight destined for Newark Liberty International Airport returned to San Diego International Airport Tuesday morning due to a cabin fire caused by an external battery.
“SDFD crews at SD Intl Airport for a plane that came in w/ an external battery pack on fire in the cabin,” the San Diego Fire Department tweeted. “Flight crew prevented the fire from spreading to the cabin.”
Firefighters said four passengers were transported from the airport for medical care. United Airlines told the Daily News the four flight attendants were treated for smoke inhalation. Two others opted not to be transported, SDFD said. The airline identified the pair as passengers.
“Shortly after departure, the aircraft declared an Alert 2 which indicates a major difficulty with the aircraft, in this case there was an electrical device fire in the cabin,” an airport communications specialist told the Daily News. “The aircraft landed safely at San Diego International Airport where emergency crews responded to the aircraft and assisted passengers.”
The airport said operations weren’t otherwise disrupted. Records indicate the 7:15 a.m. flight took off shortly after noon.
One Twitter user noted the issue could have been worse had the battery pack aboard United Flight 2664 been checked rather than carried into the main cabin. It’s not clear why the battery ignited.
Passengers on a JetBlue flight landing at JFK on Christmas Eve had to exit the plane on escape slides due to a smoking phone charger. A Dec. 28 flight from Los Angeles to Germany was forced to land in Chicago due to a laptop fire. Two flight attendants were reportedly treated for smoke inhalation, according to the Chicago Tribune.
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