Battery caught fire on German jet with 510 people on board

BERLIN – German carrier Lufthansa says a travel battery belonging to a passenger caused a small fire aboard a trans-Atlantic flight to the United States last week, but crew members were swiftly extinguished the blaze and nobody was harmed.

The airline said Tuesday that the fire occurred Aug. 2 on board an Airbus A380 carrying 386 passengers and 24 crew from Frankfurt to Houston.

It said the battery, a power bank used to charge mobile devices, caught fire after falling beneath a seat. Lufthansa routinely warns passengers to avoid letting electronic devices get trapped in seats or tables.

The Aviation Herald reported the fire occurred as the plane neared Montreal.

Lufthansa said “neither passengers nor crew members were harmed by the incident.” Flight LH440 continued on its route and landed as scheduled.