What happened
On June 10, 2016, at approximately 22:28 LMT, the duty officer at Warsaw Chopin Airport (EPWA) reported a fire on a baggage conveyor belt located at stand 23. At the time of the incident, an Embraer ERJ-175 operated by PLL LOT SA was positioned at the stand with the crew already on board. The conveyor belt in question is owned by the airport service provider (LS).
Following the report, the Duty Operations Manager notified the Airport Fire Service (LSP), Operational Supervision, and Airport Security. Before the fire brigade arrived, the conveyor belt staff managed to suppress the initial flames using a handheld fire extinguisher. The Airport Fire Service arrived at the scene at 22:29 LMT and subsequently applied water to the equipment as a precautionary measure.
The investigation
The investigation, conducted by the operator, established that the fire was contained by 22:32 LMT, and the fire service concluded all operations by 22:41 LMT. Due to the incident, passenger boarding at the stand was suspended until 22:42 LMT. The aircraft eventually departed the stand with a delay of 17 minutes.
Findings
- The fire was caused by a short circuit in the battery cables of the baggage conveyor belt.