Lufthansa flight suffers mid-air blaze caused by exploding battery charging device

German carrier Lufthansa says a travel battery belonging to a passenger caused a small fire aboard a trans-Atlantic flight to the United States last week, but crew members were swiftly extinguished the blaze and nobody was harmed.

The airline said Tuesday that the fire occurred Aug. 2 on board an Airbus A380 carrying 386 passengers and 24 crew from Frankfurt to Houston.

It said the battery, a power bank used to charge mobile devices, caught fire after falling beneath a seat. Lufthansa routinely warns passengers to avoid letting electronic devices get trapped in seats or tables.

The Aviation Herald reported the fire occurred as the plane neared Montreal.

"The captain announced a short circuit had triggered a fire in the cabin, [then] later reported that a silicon battery had been wedged into a seat of the business class causing a short circuit and a fire of the battery," said the report.

"The passengers reported everything except the exit signs went dark, only sirens could be heard. Vents were opened, with an air rush exiting the cabin could be felt. Flight attendants battled the fire with fire extinguishers. After the fire was out the captain announced, that there had been no damage to the aircraft, hence they were able to continue to Houston."

Lufthansa said "neither passengers nor crew members were harmed by the incident." Flight LH440 continued on its route and landed as scheduled.