An e-cigarette charging mishap briefly caused panic at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport, causing travelers to dash for the exits.
Several loud bangs were heard, with passengers fearing it was gunfire.
Airport authorities said a vaping device was being charged in the terminal when it overheated and exploded.
It caused a small plume of smoke but no fire and no one was injured.
The fire department quickly cleared an area of the terminal but it took a while to rescreen passengers who had evacuated the scene.
No flight operations were affected.
Passenger Dave Hamman said people immediately began running toward exits after hearing ‘what sounded like gunfire.’
Airport spokesperson Christine Crews said the e-cigarette was being charged at a charge station and it appeared to be an accidental explosion caused by possible overcharging.
Under FAA rules, vaping devices are banned from checked baggage but can be taken on a plane in carry-on bags.
