Four people have been hospitalized after an external laptop battery ignited and caused a fire on a United Airlines flight on Tuesday, CBS News reports.
The small fire onboard the plane happened shortly after takeoff from San Diego International Airport, and prompted the Boeing 737 bound for Newark Liberty International Airport to return to its departure destination. Crew on the plane “reported a laptop on fire in the cabin” at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed. In a statement from the San Diego Fire Department, the cause of the fire was confirmed to be an “external battery pack.”
While it’s not clear why the device caught fire, flight crew were able to put the battery into a fire bag, which prevented the fire from spreading to the plane as a whole. "Our crew acted quickly to contain the device and medical personnel met the aircraft upon arrival at the gate," said United in a statement. "We thank our crew for their quick actions in prioritizing the safety of everyone on board the aircraft."
As a result of the incident, four people were taken to the UC San Diego Medical Center, the fire department confirmed on Twitter. The nature of the injuries was not publicly disclosed, but two additional people at the scene declined transportation to the hospital. Everyone else on board, including the airline staff, were evaluated by the fire department.
