Staff desperately battle fire on plane as American Idol star's backpack explodes
The horror moment brave aircrew were forced to jump into action when a former American Idol star's bag was set on fire.
Cabin Crew members had to pour water on a bag set on fire while sitting at John F Kennedy International New York Airport after it unexpectedly imploded under a passenger seat. An investigation revealed the cause of the blaze was a portable charger that had overheated inside the bag of musical artist Jimmy Levy, 25.
Levy tried to stamp out the fire, before cabin crew arrived to help. He said he thought someone had tried to attack him at first. The musician said: "I thought someone tried to attack me because I'm a known political figure and musician, but after investigation, it appeared to be an overheated portable charger in my backpack."
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The incident occurred on JetBlue flight due to depart from New York for South Florida (@jimmylevy / CATERS NEWS)
A portable charger was the start of the fire (@jimmylevy / CATERS NEWS)The incident occurred on a JetBlue flight due to depart from New York for South Florida on October 30. The singer from Miami, Florida, USA, who boasts over one million followers on Instagram and more than 120,000 listeners on Spotify labelled the experience as 'one of the scariest moments of my life'.
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He added: "I was jolted awake by a sudden and terrifying wave of heat which was seemingly shooting towards my face. I immediately opened my eyes and noticed my backpack, which was initially tucked underneath my seat, now in a floating ball of fire. I pushed it to the ground and began stomping on it frantically to prevent the blaze from spreading.
"With the help of the flight staff and water, the fire was contained. However, due to the gravity of the situation, everyone was required to evacuate the plane for a thorough investigation."
Levy said he though he was being attacked (@jimmylevy / CATERS NEWS)
Cabin crew acted quickly (@jimmylevy / CATERS NEWS)JetBlue, a budget airline, said in a statement: "On Monday, October 30, JetBlue flight 1401 with scheduled service from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) was evacuated while at the gate before takeoff due to a customer's malfunctioning electronic device or battery.
"Our crew immediately responded and addressed the situation, and there were no requests for medical assistance. Safety is our number one priority, and we are investigating the incident."
Earlier this year, two people were injured when a portable device erupted in flames as the aircraft was preparing to take off in Taiwan. The flight from Taoyuan International Airport was due to fly to Singapore when the incident occurred.
A power bank spontaneously ignited and filled the cabin with smoke, forcing all 189 passengers and crew to evacuate. Flight TR993 was set to take off on Tuesday evening, with two passengers suffering minor injuries.
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