The Boeing 737-800 was 10 minutes from landing in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, when a flight attendant saw smoke and flames emerging from an overhead storage bin. When the bin was opened, the flight attendant and nearby passengers saw a burning backpack and used a fire extinguisher and water to douse the flames and eliminate the smoke. The airplane then landed without further incident at Hobart.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said, in its final report on the July 21, 2025, serious incident, that after the landing, firefighters removed a burned power bank from the backpack. The power bank’s lithium-ion battery had experienced a thermal runaway — an uncontrolled increase in temperature that occurs after a battery’s internal cells have been damaged — which caused the fire, the ATSB said.
None of the 155 passengers and crew were injured in the incident, which caused minor damage to the airplane.
The Virgin Australia Airlines 737, bound from…
