Vaping is indeed deadly. More than 200 passages rushed to escape an easyJet plane in Crete, Greece, after one passenger's vape exploded inside a carry-on bag. Fortunately, the explosion occurred before the plane took off. Horrified Airbus A321 passengers told the Daily Mail that they saw a "very large red flash and flame", followed by "thick black smoke."
Videos by Wide Open Country
Malachi Griffith, one of the passengers, said: "I could smell and see smoke coming towards us from the front of the plane." He continued: "Then a girl ran down the aisle with a bag...with smoke [coming] out of it and then there was a cracking noise, which was the sound of the flames."
Regarding the explosion, one witness said: "Fire and acrid smoke billowed from the bag, popping exploding noises, smoke filled the cabin around the bag."
Reportedly, the easyJet vape explosion caused no injuries. However, the resulting evacuation caused one of the passengers to suffer a friction burn after sliding down the plane.
Response To The Explosion
Videos from the evacuation have appeared online, They show the passengers leaving the plane by sliding down the emergency slide. Speaking to MailOnline, a spokesperson said the following: "easyJet can confirm that flight EZY8216 from Heraklion to London Gatwick was evacuated during boarding prior to departure, due to a fire in a passenger's cabin bag."
The police were quick to rush to the scene to investigate. According to the easyJet spokesperson, "Fire services attended the aircraft and cabin crew evacuated the aircraft in line with procedures."
One of the passengers stated regarding how the low-cost engine handled the situation: "easyJet have kept us up to date with the replacement flight, which we are boarding now, they gave us a voucher to get food." The passenger continued: "All the staff have been very helpful and it was as painless as it could be."
The spokesperson's statement concludes: "Customers are currently being looked after in the terminal and a replacement aircraft and crew have been arranged to fly customers home later today. Safety is our highest priority".
Airlines allow passengers to take their vapes on planes by storing them in their carry-on bags. Vape explosions usually happen when in contact with propellants such as oxygen or gasoline.
