A mobile phone caught fire as a plane was coming in to land at a UK airport.
The Wizzair Airbus flying from Katowice in Poland was on its final approach to Liverpool when the crew reported that smoke was coming from a smartphone in the cabin.
Emergency services at the airport were immediately alerted. Cabin crew moved the phone to the back of the cabin while the flight crew landed the aircraft safely and taxied the aircraft to the gate. No-one was hurt.
Special fire-retardant bags called AvSax specifically designed to deal with fires in electronic devices are now on board several major US carriers.
The AvSax is used when lithium-ion batteries in mobile phones or other electronic devices catch fire.
Simply pour at least two litres of water into an AvSax and then drop the burning device into the bag. The water activates the polymer gel inside the bag causing it to expand around the device. Should the device keep on venting then the AvSax is tough enough to absorb the force.
In short, the AvSax cools the batteries in the device, reducing the likelihood of the battery catching fire but if it does go into what is known as thermal runaway it is all contained within the bag.