A passenger on a Scoot flight from Taiwan to Singapore has praised the cabin crew for their quick and professional response to a fire that broke out on the plane. Angie Ton, 28, was on the flight when a passenger’s power bank overheated, causing flames to erupt in row 16, three rows behind her. Ton said that the flight attendants were “extremely professional” and “knew exactly what to do” when the fire broke out. They told passengers to step back from the flames and used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire within three minutes.

Ton said that the cabin filled with smoke after the fire was put out, but the crew made sure that the air inside the cabin was cleared quickly by switching on the ventilators. The owner of the power bank and his companion suffered minor burns to their fingers and received medical assistance. Ton also noted that an older woman on the flight was crying and seeking medical attention as she was hurt when people pushed away from the fire when it initially erupted.



After the fire was put out and the smoke cleared, passengers remained on the flight as it was believed it would still take off. However, after waiting for around three hours, the pilot said that Taiwan’s authorities would not allow the flight to take off, so passengers had to disembark. Scoot offered a full refund for the flight and the option of a night’s stay at a hotel with breakfast, lunch and transportation to the airport, or S$100 if they had their own accommodation in Taiwan.

Reflecting on the incident, Ton said that if the fire had happened just a few minutes later, the plane would already have been in the air. She also noted that the possibility of overheating might explain why power banks cannot be checked in and had one word of advice for fellow travellers: “If you buy a power bank, you better buy a good quality one, not a cheap one.