An exploding power bank left a man with burns to his fingers and legs and prompted the evacuation of the Qantas business lounge at Melbourne Airport on Friday morning.
The device reportedly exploded in the man’s pocket just after 11 a.m., injuring him and forcing around 150 people to evacuate the lounge. The injured passenger, believed to be in his 50s, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
Witnesses described hearing screams as the man tried to remove the burning device from his pocket. A photo taken by a bystander showed the charred remains of the power bank on the lounge floor, surrounded by plastic warning signs.
The lounge was temporarily closed for about two hours while crews cleaned up the area and cleared the lingering smell of smoke.
Qantas confirmed the incident, stating, “The lounge was evacuated as a precaution and emergency services treated the customer on site.” The airline is currently reviewing its policies regarding power banks and spare batteries on board.
The incident follows a string of power bank fires reported globally, prompting several airlines to tighten their safety measures. Emirates has banned the use of power banks during flights, while Virgin Australia has urged passengers to keep them within arm’s reach.
Firefighters have warned that lithium battery fires are extremely difficult to extinguish, as even large amounts of water often fail to put them out. Some aircraft are now equipped with special Kevlar envelopes designed to contain such fires, which crew members can seal and place into a metal toilet bowl to isolate the blaze.
Qantas has indicated that an update to its spare battery and power bank policy will be announced in the coming weeks.
