Journalist recalls terror as cellphone charger catches fire on packed flight halfway across the Atlantic

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A passenger feared she was going to die when a portable phone charger caught fire on a packed flight halfway across the Atlantic Ocean.
Simone Malagoli, a Brazilian journalist, said most fliers were sleeping when the device burst into flames, spewing smoke throughout the cabin.
Panicked travelers began to scream 'fire, fire, fire' as they feared the blaze had originated in one of the jet's engines or the cargo hold, she recounted.
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The chaos erupted on Flight KL792 from Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Amsterdam on Wednesday.
Malagoli, who was on the aircraft, said the flight was four hours away from landing when the device caught fire.
Flight attendants responded quickly by putting out the fire with extinguishers, the airline said in a statement.
Footage shared by Malagoli on Instagram showed smoke build up on the right side of the Boeing 777-300 as the journalist used a pillow to cover her nose.
A flight attendant could be seen walking down the aisle with a fire extinguisher and a piece of cloth over her head.
'Suddenly, I hear a noise, a commotion,' Malagoli said. 'I look over, and there's a lot of smoke in the next [aisle], a lot of smoke.'
For a terrifying moment, Malagoli thought the airplane was going to crash in the ocean and considered contacting her loved ones.
'I almost texted my parents to say goodbye because I really thought I was going to die.'
According to the flight attendants, the charger was inside the passenger's backpack and not connected to the power outlet.
Malagoli wondered what would have happened if the power bank had been checked in with the luggage.
'Imagine if a suitcase in the hold catches fire,' she said. 'Who would be able to control it?'
In a statement provided to the Daily Mail, KLM credited its crew for following protocol and extinguishing the burning power bank.
'The situation was brought under full control, and the flight continued safely to Amsterdam,' the airline said.
'All appropriate measures were taken to ensure the continued safety and comfort of our passengers.'
No injuries were reported.