A battery inside a camera exploded and caught fire shortly before it was taken on board an aircraft.

CCTV has captured the moment the bag was spotted and the quick reactions of a security guard at Orlando International Airport.

The incident led to flight cancellations, delays and an evacuation of the airport so just think what the impact would have been if it had happened on the aircraft at 35,000ft.

In the video passengers can be seen quickly leaving a security checkpoint after a loud noise and smoke started coming from a passenger's bag. Security officer Ricado Perez rushed to carry the bag to a less-populated area.

The airport said: "In an abundance of caution, passengers inside the terminal were instructed to exit the building while Orlando Police and Orlando International Airport staff investigated.” 

Once searched, the noise was discovered to have been a lithium ion camera battery that had exploded and caught fire inside the camera bag, which began to smoke.

Greater Orlando International Aviation Authority Chief Executive Phil Brown said the passenger “immediately dropped the bag and those around them moved away from it.”

 

Emergency services arrived quickly and moved the bag further away from the crowds.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration allows lithium ion batteries under 100 watt hours in carry-on luggage which includes most consumer-sized batteries for cell phones, cameras and other personal electronic devices.

 

Lithium batteries have been known to explode before and there had been at least 17 lithium-ion related incidents on planes this year. 

 

* AvSax fire containment bags are now on board several major airlines worldwide.

 

They have been deployed on aircraft 20 times so far this year and means they don’t need to make an emergency landing and can continue the flight confident the bag has solved the problem. The average cost of an emergency diversion in the USA is $400,000.

 

If an electronic device starts to seriously overheat or emit smoke the cabin crew will pour at least two litres of water into an AvSax and then drop the burning device into the bag, adding additional water as required. 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.

 

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 when all the battery cells catch fire at incredibly hot temperatures it is all contained within the bag.

 

Amazingly, the water is absorbed into the internal lining of the bag so the device is dry when it is removed.