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South Korea says Air Busan fire possibly caused by spare power bank

According to the interim probe into the January incident, the blaze may have started because insulation inside the battery had broken down

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Firefighters try to put out the blaze from an Air Busan plane at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea on January 28. Photo: Yonhap/Reuters
A spare power bank is a possible cause of a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane in January, South Korea’s transport ministry said on Friday, citing interim investigation results.

Scorch marks on the debris of a power bank found where the fire was first detected indicate the blaze may have started because insulation inside the battery had broken down, the statement said.

Investigators cannot yet state what may have caused the breakdown, however, according to the statement.

Lithium batteries in devices such as laptops, mobile phones, electronic cigarettes and power banks can produce smoke, fire or extreme heat when manufacturing faults or damage cause them to short circuit.

No abnormalities in the plane’s own electrical systems have been identified, the statement said.

The fire on January 28 was first detected in a luggage bin above row 30 on the left side of the plane about 20 minutes after the delayed flight to Hong Kong from Busan, in South Korea, had been scheduled to depart, investigators have said.

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