Recently, a power bank spontaneously caught fire on a northbound High Speed Rail train, service number 630. Fortunately, a Professor Su from NKUST was on board at the time and applied his expertise to direct the firefighting efforts appropriately, ultimately averting a crisis. However, since High Speed Rail cars are equipped with fire extinguishers, using one in the enclosed carriage not only left the car in considerable disarray but also caused passengers to scream in panic, sparking discussion on how High Speed Rail should properly handle power bank fire incidents.
What should you do if a power bank catches fire on the high-speed rail? The following is a discussion:
Image source: TVBS
On August 10, 2026, there was a startling report on a northbound High Speed Rail train (Train 630) that a power bank in the fourth carriage had spontaneously combusted and was emitting white smoke. Since HSR carriages are equipped with fire extinguishers, some passengers directly sprayed it with a dry powder extinguisher, filling the entire enclosed carriage with pungent yellow dust. Visibility was affected, and passengers who didn’t understand what was happening began screaming and fleeing. Fortunately, at the time of the incident, Professor Su Chong-hui of National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology noticed that what was actually smoking was a square power bank in a bag and that it “hadn’t caught fire yet.” He then directed everyone to find water and pour it into the bag. “Can water be used on this lithium battery?” someone asked. Professor Su replied, “Just pour it, I’m a professional!” Afterward, HSR staff brought a fire blanket to cover it, and finally the item was removed at Taichung Station, successfully lifting the alert.
Coincidentally, on August 11In the morning, a train heading toward Nangang Exhibition Center on the Taipei MRT also experienced a passenger’s power bank spontaneously combusting. Since Taipei MRT cars are equipped with small dry-type fire extinguishers, a passing passenger used one to successfully put out the smoking power bank, but the entire car was already filled with smoke. Taipei MRT arranged for about 1,200 passengers to transfer to another train, and follow-up investigation will be handled by police and firefighters.
Since high-speed rail and MRT carriages are enclosed spaces, and power banks are essentially just small lithium batteries, combined with the fact that high-speed rail and Taipei MRT carriages are already designed with fireproofing, the use ofDry powder fire extinguisherFire extinguishing may cause blurred vision and breathing difficulties, which can actually hinder passenger evacuation. Therefore, fire safety expert Zhe Zhe suggested on Threads that public transport carriages should evaluate more suitable fire extinguishing equipment.
Using a high-speed rail car as an example, these cars are equipped with dry chemical extinguishers and fire blankets. However, the power banks, portable fans, phones, and tablets passengers carry typically use small lithium batteries rated below 100Wh. When thermal runaway occurs, these batteries generate combustible gases on their own. While a dry chemical extinguisher can quickly suppress the flames, the large volume of discharge produces irritating dust that affects visibility and breathing, which in a sealed carriage may actually increase evacuation risks. As for fire blankets, since lithium battery fires do not rely on oxygen, covering them can actually cause deflagration or allow the fire to spread. Experts point out that when thermal runaway occurs in small lithium batteries, large amounts of water should be used to cool them down and prevent the thermal runaway from spreading. Professor Su from National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology directed that pouring large amounts of mineral water onto the smoking bag is the correct solution.
However, dry fire extinguishers are not entirely useless. Although they cannot put out a lithium battery fire, they can extinguish the surrounding items that the fire spreads to. But considering that the carriage is an enclosed space, if there are no burning items around the power bank, using large amounts of water to cool it down is still the best approach.
Fire safety expert Zhe Zhe further suggested: high-speed rail and MRT systems should evaluate replacing dry chemical fire extinguishers with reinforced liquid and other extinguishing equipment more suitable for public transit, while continuing to promote the message that “small power bank fires, extinguish with water.”It’s best to use a clip to place it into a bucket filled with water.), and strengthen the interior of the carriageReporting Mechanismand evacuation guidance to prevent greater accidents caused by crowd stampedes due to panic.
In the event of a small lithium battery incident inside the enclosed compartment of public transportation, the top priority is always “orderly evacuation of personnel and cooling down with large amounts of water,” then leaving the aftermath to professional firefighters.
Power banks have become an essential item for digital life on the go.
Source: KOCPC Chinese