A Virgin Atlantic plane heading to London Heathrow Airport from John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 4 was diverted to Boston following a fire aboard the plane.
A phone charger is suspected to be the cause of the fire.
Virgin Atlantic officials confirmed the incident with USA Today stating, “our crew responded immediately and the plane has landed safely in Boston.”
Crew members on board responded quickly and extinguished the fire that was coming from a passenger seat, according to a statement from Massachusetts State Police.
“MSP EOD located and examined a device located between the cushions of the seat that ignited,” a statement reads. “Preliminary investigation suggests it is a battery pack consistent in appearance with an external phone charger.”
The 217 passengers on the aircraft were safely evacuated and moved to a different terminal. One passenger, however, refused emergency medical services after a smoke related complaint.
Virgin Atlantic told USA Today, “the safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we are currently investigating to fully understand the circumstances. All our customers were offered overnight accommodation and onward travel today (July 5). We’d like to thank our customers for their patience during this time.”