Qantas business class lounge in chaos as passenger catches fire when carry-on item explodes in his pocket

Screams rang out from a Qantas International Business Lounge on Thursday after a man was set alight by a faulty power bank that exploded in his pocket.

The lithium battery device ignited in the trousers of a 50-year-old man as he sat in the Melbourne Qantas Lounge about 11am.

Roughly 150 passengers were forced to evacuate the lounge while staff helped the man throw the blazing device on the floor and rushed him into a shower.

One traveller said they ‘heard screaming from the other side of the lounge’ as the device sent out sparks and ‘battery acid flying everywhere’, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

‘His jacket caught on fire. They evacuated us because the smoke and smell was so strong, but I really just hope the guy is okay,’ they said.

Another wrote online: ‘Quick thinking from the man who jumped in to help and the staff who got him in the shower and everyone else out of the lounge.’

A photo shared on social media showed the burnt remnants of the power bank’s husk surrounded by several warning signs inside the lounge. 

The man was treated for significant burns he suffered to his leg and fingers.

Firefighters attended the scene to ensure the fire did not spread.

Paramedics treated the business passenger at the airport before taking him to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition.

Qantas said it will review its lithium battery policies following the incident. 

‘There was an incident at the Qantas International Business Lounge at Melbourne Airport this morning involving a customer’s power bank,’ a spokeswoman said.

‘The lounge was evacuated as a precaution and emergency services treated the customer on site.

‘We worked with the Melbourne Airport to clean the lounge and it has since reopened.’

Several airlines have strict rules about carrying power banks on board a flight with Emirates banning the item altogether.

Lithium battery fires, like those caused by power banks, are notoriously difficult to put out as they have a self-sustaining chemical reaction which causes them to continually heat up, called thermal runaway.

The batteries pose a significantly higher risk onboard planes where fire has the ability to spread rapidly. 

Some airlines have begun carrying Kevlar envelopes which are made from an incredibly durable material specifically designed to contain battery fires.

Cabin crews are trained to put a burning device into the envelope, seal it and throw it into a plane toilet bowl, which are typically made of metal.