The battery fire onboard a Spirit Airlines flight Wednesday that forced its pilots to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida, was caused by a vaping device, reports say.
Capt. Eric Prosswimmer of the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department told FOX Business on Thursday that 10 people were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries after Spirit Flight 259 from Dallas to Orlando was diverted.
"It was starting to drop altitude, and somebody yelled, ‘fire,’" Rocco Chierichella, a passenger identified by WJXT as a retired New York City firefighter, said after the emergency landing in the early afternoon.
Spirit Airlines said the fire originated in an overhead bin and Chierichella said, "what it was, was a battery-powered vape tied to a battery charging inside the compartment."
He described it as "Very dangerous" and that "it ignited a piece of luggage next to it," according to WJXT.
The station reports that Chierichella suffered some burns on his fingers as he and other crew members worked to put the fire out.
7 LUFTHANSA PASSENGERS HOSPITALIZED AFTER LIGHTNING STRIKES PLANE
An image taken from a passenger inside the plane showed smoke filling the cabin.
In a statement to FOX Business, Spirit Airlines said the plane switched course "following what’s believed to be a battery fire from a Guest item in an overhead bin that was extinguished inflight."
"The plane landed at JAX and taxied to the terminal without incident," the statement added. "We thank our crew and Guests for their quick actions to ensure the safety of everyone onboard, and we thank first responders for meeting the aircraft. "
