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An aircraft was met with emergency services upon its arrival at Melbourne airport after a fire broke out during the plane’s descent.
This was after a vape caused flames to ignite within the plane’s cabin as it began its descent to Melbourne.
The Virgin Australia flight was traveling domestically from Brisbane to Melbourne on Sunday (March 15) when the incident occurred.
A spokesperson for the airport explained: “As a precaution and in accordance with standard procedures, emergency services were placed on standby.”
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The team had ‘responded to a pan call from Virgin Australia flight VA328 from Brisbane after reports a vape had activated on board the aircraft’.
A PAN alert is a signal used to indicate urgency over a safety concern that might need assistance from on the ground.
The passenger alerted the crew to the vape when they noticed smoke emitting from the device.
The spokesperson confirmed: “The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely and taxied to the gate where passengers were able to disembark normally.”
They went on to highlight how the safety of their guests is the ‘highest priority’ before going on to thank the crew for their ‘swift response in containing the device’.
According to the airline’s guidelines, devices such as vapes can only be carried on board the aircraft in hand luggage and must not be switched on.
Many people have since taken to social media to share their own reactions to the incident, with one user writing on Reddit: “Last year I was arguing with a whole bunch of Redditors who were saying that they secretly vape on planes and they don’t see why that’s a problem. Here’s why, geniuses.”
Another said: “Well done to the crew. Fire in the cabin, even a small one, has to be one of the worst case scenarios they prep for.”
A third person commented: “I agree in general, and don't mistake me for some uppity libertarian who just complains about stuff being banned by default, but battery fires are one example of how banning stuff can have unintended consequences.
“Devices with lithium batteries are subject to certain safety standards, but that all goes out the window if the device is sold on the black/grey market. Same goes for the regulation of certain harmful chemicals, both in the vape liquid and the heating coil.”
And a fourth added: “I was at the airport when I read the news, they are being extremely careful about batteries with extra announcements.”
