Passengers on an EasyJet flight to London were evacuated after a bag of vapes exploded on Tuesday evening.
The explosion and smoke forced passengers to leave the EZY8216 flight from Heraklion in Crete to Gatwick before take off.
One passenger was even forced to get onto the plane’s evacuation slide amid fears that the smoke was a bomb.
A witness told media: “Fire and acrid smoke billowed from the bag, popping exploding noises, smoke filled the cabin around the bag."
The passenger was holding a bum bag with vapes inside which began to smoke, causing panic as the plane was on the tarmac.
Witnesses described seeing her ask for people to get out of the way of the aisle as panic ensued.
The evacuation slides were activated, but only one passenger suffered any injuries, which were minor and came from using the slide.
Cabin crew allowed staff to return to the jet to retrieve their possessions before they were put on a different flight that evening.
Passengers were allowed to return to the aircraft to collect their belongings before catching a different flight in the evening.
In a message to crew staff, Bart Prudon, EasyJet director of flight operations, said the incident was caused by an “electrical fire in a customer’s cabin bag”.
“Our crew immediately followed procedure, which included evacuating the aircraft, using extinguishers, and called the airport fire services,” he told staff.
“Medical services were made available to both our customers and our crew.”
“I want to say thank you to our crew who responded so quickly and everyone who supported the operation during this incident.
“We understand events such as these can have an impact on our colleagues and we are here to support you too should you need it.”
An airline spokesperson said: “EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY8216 from Heraklion to London Gatwick was evacuated during boarding prior to departure on 17 September, due to a fire in a passenger’s cabin bag. Fire services attended the aircraft and cabin crew evacuated the aircraft in line with procedures.
“Customers were looked after in the terminal while a replacement aircraft and crew were arranged to fly customers home later the same day. Safety is our highest priority.”
