About 400 passengers were evacuated from an MTR train in Hong Kong on Friday morning after a portable power bank caught fire in a carriage, filling the compartments with thick smoke.
Police said they received a report at about 8.35am that the external battery pack had ignited on a train on the Tuen Ma line bound for Wu Kai Sha as it arrived at Tsuen Wan West station. No injuries were reported.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show a black bag on fire and emitting thick white smoke inside a train carriage as passengers look on.
In the video, at least one commuter is seen using a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.
The train eventually stopped at Tsuen Wan West station, where most passengers alighted on their own. About 30 seconds later, an on-board announcement also urged commuters to get off the train.
“When I smelled the burning odour, I already guessed something nearby had caught fire. Within five minutes, someone had already posted about it on Threads,” a user named “meburbur” wrote on the platform.
Another user, “like_forwhatt”, said: “I recognised it right away – it was the same carriage. I’d been really sleepy at first, but that woke me right up.”
Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in portable power banks and other electronic devices, can pose a fire risk if damaged, defective, overcharged or exposed to heat.
Most airlines have banned the devices from checked luggage, and more carriers, including Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, have also prohibited their use during flights or storage in overhead compartments. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
