Virgin Atlantic flight makes emergency landing in Boston after fire onboard

A fire aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight headed to London has forced the plane to make an emergency landing in Boston. Massachusetts state police said that the crew extinguished the fire caused by a suspected faulty battery charger on board the A330 Airbus plane on Thursday night local time. All 217 passengers on flight 138 from JFK airport in New York to Heathrow were safely evacuated after landing along with the crew. One passenger refused treatment for a smoke-related complaint. An external phone charger appears to have caused the fire. Massachusetts state police bomb disposal officers examined the aircraft after it landed and found a device between the cushions of a seat which had ignited. “Preliminary investigation suggests it is a battery pack consistent in appearance with an external phone charger,” a police spokesman said. Virgin Atlantic said it was “investigating” what led to smoke appearing in the cabin. “The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we are currently investigating to fully understand the circumstances,” a company spokeswoman said. “We’d like to thank our customers for their patience as we work with them to provide local accommodation or to rebook alternative flights to their final destination.”<br/>