All first responders in South West Iceland were put on high alert after a fire alarm went off onboard a passenger plane shortly after take off. The plane made an immediate return to Keflavík for an emergency landing. The fire alarm had been set off by an e-cigarette which had caught fire in the plane's bathroom. Nobody was hurt and the passengers, who were headed for Poland, spent the night at hotels in South Iceland.
Fire over Mýrdalsjökull glacier
At 19:40 Keflavík airport received an alert from a plane from the Hungarian airline Wizz air that fire had broken out on board the plane. The plane was flying east above Mýrdalsjökull glacier, but made an immediate return to Keflavík for an emergency landing. The nature of the emergency was not known at the time. The 147 passengers on board the plane were heading to Wrocklaw, Poland.
The highest alertness code was implemented at Keflavík Airport. All available first responders were put on high alert, including two Coast Guard helicopters and ICE-SAR units in South West Iceland were put on alert, while units from the Reykjavík Fire department being sent to Keflavík to assist in the worst case scenario.
No emergency
When the plane landed in Keflavík at 19:51 it became clear that the fire had bee far less serious than initially feared. Ólafur Helgi Kjartansson, Police chief in South West Iceland told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV that an e-cigarette appeared to to have caught fire in one of the luggage bins above the seats in the passenger cabin. One of the passengers then seems to have disposed of the e-cigarette in the plane lavatory where it then set the fire alarm system off.
Nobody was hurt and the passengers were taken to hotels in South Iceland where they spent the night.
All first responders in South West Iceland were put on high alert after a fire alarm went off onboard a passenger plane shortly after take off. The plane made an immediate return to Keflavík for an emergency landing. The fire alarm had been set off by an e-cigarette which had caught fire in the plane's bathroom. Nobody was hurt and the passengers, who were headed for Poland, spent the night at hotels in South Iceland.
Fire over Mýrdalsjökull glacier
At 19:40 Keflavík airport received an alert from a plane from the Hungarian airline Wizz air that fire had broken out on board the plane. The plane was flying east above Mýrdalsjökull glacier, but made an immediate return to Keflavík for an emergency landing. The nature of the emergency was not known at the time. The 147 passengers on board the plane were heading to Wrocklaw, Poland.
The highest alertness code was implemented at Keflavík Airport. All available first responders were put on high alert, including two Coast Guard helicopters and ICE-SAR units in South West Iceland were put on alert, while units from the Reykjavík Fire department being sent to Keflavík to assist in the worst case scenario.
No emergency
When the plane landed in Keflavík at 19:51 it became clear that the fire had bee far less serious than initially feared. Ólafur Helgi Kjartansson, Police chief in South West Iceland told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RÚV that an e-cigarette appeared to to have caught fire in one of the luggage bins above the seats in the passenger cabin. One of the passengers then seems to have disposed of the e-cigarette in the plane lavatory where it then set the fire alarm system off.
Nobody was hurt and the passengers were taken to hotels in South Iceland where they spent the night.
