400 MTR passengers evacuated after power bank catches fire on train

2026-02-06 - 08:37

Hong Kong’s MTR has evacuated around 400 people after a passenger’s power bank caught fire in a carriage during morning rush hour, filling the train with thick smoke. Police told HKFP on Friday that they received a report at 8.30am from MTR staff, saying a male passenger on the Tuen Ma line found that a power bank in his bag had caught fire as the train arrived at Tsuen Wan West station. An online photo shows a male passenger dropping his bag on the floor of an MTR carriage as smoke comes out of the bag on February 6, 2026. Photo: kenophk2001, via Thread. An online photo shows thick smoke in an MTR carriage on February 6, 2026. Photo: kenophk2001, via Thread. An online photo shows MTR staff inspecting the carriage after the fire is extinguished. Photo: kenophk2001, via Thread. The passenger threw his bag onto the floor as smoke filled the train, prompting the MTR to evacuate 400 passengers to the platform. When police arrived at the scene, the fire had been extinguished, and no one was injured, police said. Photos and videos circulating online showed thick smoke coming out of the passenger’s bag and filling train carriages. A female passenger shouted, asking people to open the window, as some other passengers used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze. In response to HKFP’s enquiry, the MTR Corporation (MTRC) said that no one was injured in the incident, and the overall train service on the Tuen Ma Line was only slightly affected. “The MTR urges passengers that if they encounter similar situations, they can use the emergency call button inside the carriage to notify the driver and seek assistance from staff. At the same time, the MTR reminds passengers to be cautious when using chargers,” the MTRC said in a Chinese-language statement sent to HKFP. In a separate incident on Friday, an abandoned lithium battery emitting smoke was found on a platform at Tin Hau station. A train driver had previously alerted station staff to “an urgent incident” in the carriage. The staff put out the smoke with a fire extinguisher. According to surveillance camera footage seen by police, smoke had already come out of a passenger’s bag in the carriage before the train arrived at Tin Hau station. The MTR Corporation logo. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Hong Kong does not restrict the use of power banks on public land transport. Starting from April, local airlines have banned passengers from using power banks to charge portable devices during flights. Taipei Metro issued an advisory last week, urging people not to use power banks in the carriages. The railway operator, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp, said there had been cases of power banks spontaneously catching fire and endangering passengers, the Taipei Times reported. The advisory sparked criticism, with people saying the railway operator was overreacting. Taipei Metro apologised and later stated that the advisory would not be mandatory.