An Air Canada passenger had to be taken to hospital Thursday morning after a cellphone caught fire aboard a flight that was preparing to depart from Toronto to Vancouver.
Flight AC101 was still at the gate at Pearson International Airport when the device went up in flames at around 7 a.m., according to a statement from the airline.
"The fire was immediately extinguished by crews and there was no damage to the aircraft, however the owner of the phone suffered injuries," spokesperson Peter Firzpatrick said.
Videos recorded in the aftermath of the incident show firefighters walking through the cabin and a puddle of foam from a fire extinguisher on the floor.
Air Canada said the victim was able to walk off the plane on her own. Emergency services treated her at the airport before she was transported to hospital with minor burns.
The Boeing 787, which was carrying 266 passengers, was delayed by around two hours but eventually did take off for the West Coast.
Passengers who disembarked at Vancouver International Airport at around 10:40 a.m. described an alarming scene onboard with smoke filling part of the cabin before the flames were put out.
"I looked behind me and in the aisle it looked like a small campfire-sized flame," said Brendon Scott. "My first thought was: Oh my god, I gotta get off this plane."
Another passenger who identified herself as a doctor said she was seated in the row behind the victim, and saw what she believed to be a first-degree burn in the shape of a phone on the woman's hand.
There have been conflicting reports on the make and model of the phone that caught fire. CTV News has not confirmed the details about the device.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim
