According to initial information, at about 11:55 p.m. on July 30, 2024, at the security checkpoint to screen checked baggage at the international departure terminal of Tan Son Nhat airport, a small fire occurred from a homemade battery left behind by a passenger. for reasons that cannot be carried in checked baggage.
As soon as the incident was discovered, the International Terminal Security Team quickly took out a fire extinguisher and extinguished the fire immediately.
Because a fire extinguisher was used, the powder dust created smoke in the area where the fire was extinguished. The airport operations center's emergency fire team handled the next steps according to their assigned functions and tasks and by 00:55 on July 31, the small fire area had been cleaned up.
The above incident did not much affect operations at the airport terminal.
According to a representative of Tan Son Nhat International Airport, backup batteries can only be carried with hand luggage and absolutely cannot be placed in checked baggage. When discovering a backup battery in the passenger's checked luggage, security forces asked the passenger to remove it from the suitcase. Because the battery was of little value, this person also left it behind and did not carry it in his hand.
"The fire was not large, the security forces responded professionally and quickly handled it, without affecting the terminal's operations," said a representative of Tan Son Nhat Airport.
Tan Son Nhat airport representative also said that the backup charger is a flammable material because it is made from lithium-polymer battery core. Some poor quality chargers only use lithium-Ion battery cores, increasing the possibility of fire and explosion. This is also the reason why the aviation industry prohibits passengers from bringing rechargeable batteries in checked baggage.
