Apparently the initial flame was intense and reached the ceiling, with commensurate volumes of smoke, all of which is far in exccess of what you see in the video. Third hand accounts suggest the cabin crew had just started the emergency demonstration and were therefore not necessarily in a position to intervene before panic ensued and a pax started the evacuation.

If the cabin crew couldn't get to the source of the fire because of passengers fleeing the aircraft, then that's just tough.

The CC's primary function is to preserve life. If the aircraft goes up in flames once everyone has evacuated, so be it.

"The stupidity of passengers amazes me."

You mean the stupidity of passengers actually paying money to travel in what is an inherently unsafe metal tube barrelling through the air?

If they weren't stupid there wouldn't be any airlines

A fine of £1000 per bag or a lifetime ban should do the trick..

Nail on the head with this one. Maybe in combination with:Ryanair does already have in place some procedures it appears to ensure least amount of bags are in cabin, by charging for them to be taken into cabin. Even better, pax do not book for airport staff to check in bag, saving cost, and rely on pax to bring bags to gate, then to be placed in hold.
Only if pax booked in advance and provided no more than a certain amount of bags in total can a bag be taken into cabin. Do other airlines limit the exposure to cabin bags the same?

Aren't you supposed to submerge the burning Lithium battery in a champagne bucket full of iced water..?
Nobody wants their holiday clothes ruined by lithium fumes.
.

I understand the instructions for such fires is pour any fluid on it, do not use ice, use whatever is at hand....drinks from the cart etc. It may be the cabin crew were scared to use these as they feared getting their pay docked.
While I can understand the people taking their handbags,,,,,money passport etc it is about time that those that take those big wheely suitcases are met on arrival and arrested for disobeying Flight Crew Instructions by taking them.

I suggest you also ask the insurance companies as they regard any valuables stored in the hold as opposed to hand baggage as not insured.
Additionally there is at least one on line blog/comment where following an evac/accident a customer had his hand luggage left behind returned - minus the valuable electronic item inside it.
So as others have said before - passengers know all this and unless the a/c is actually disintegrating around them then they are going to collect their hand luggage: end of story.

Rather than limiting baggage size/numbers (isn't that bad enough as it is) the answer to the evac baggage problem is surely to make remote-locking baggage bins mandatory and in the meantime publicise and prosecute everyone identifiable who carries bags off in an evac.

No just the insurance but also the airlines - if the airline accepts liability then fine, if the airline disclaims liability and insurance refuses to cover the risk, then not fine.

We have been there before with almost nothing allowed cabin baggage - in the early days following the liquid bomb plot in the UK. The result wasn't air travel becoming obviously safer, but it did become obviously more chaotic and unreliable and in some cases completely infeasible from a passenger point of view. Some classes of passengers (pro musicians, photographers, film crews) were effectively prevented from travelling by air altogether. Many pax lost valuables and got told they were liable for the loss due to following security instructions (and you're also liable for the loss of ticket if you don't follow security instructions...).

Aside from the where-are-lithium-batteries-safest debate, any ban on laptops etc. risks seriously damaging the premium business market (Trump's limited ban hit shares of affected operators hard). There may be a pay grade at which the loss from not being able to work on a flight would make bizjet charter a cost effective alternative - far above any hourly rate I've ever charged but I wouldn't bet on the number of people at that level being zero.

Agreed, but with possible replacement of "unless" with "even if" :E

I'd like to know where the picture being painted of the high flying businessman slaving away at his laptop while in flight actually comes from.
I won't say that I've never seen it; I have. But it's as rare as ostrich teeth.

There is no doubting that no one wants to pass care of their laptop to the guy who just broke the handle off my expensive, nearly-indestructible suitcase (yes, really; this morning).
But actually using one productively in flight? I don't think so.
After all, most of them can't use a laptop productively anywhere, let alone on an aeroplane.

That's what lesser minions are for.

I notice that the rear left slide seems to be deployed, but don't see anyone sliding down it. Also the age-old problem: you (and other passengers) may be in imminent danger of death - but don't forget your hand baggage !

The reason some nationalities need their laptop is not to actually work but to be able to both for their own tax reasons and those of their employed. In addition many laptops have access to the commercial interests of the company which can be worth squillions. Even if password protected, many employers simply wont allow the laptop out of sight. If the laptop were taken and data hacked it could close the company. So it wont happen

Yes, you are right, and that action to protect the laptop is more important than saving human life. It's hard to not disagree with you, not!
Don't forget your laptop / personal belongings, even if those actions will cost human life, protect, protect and protect!
How can someone not understand this?

(If it was me who came to save you, I would take that laptop and throw into the flames!)

Any company (worth squillions, no less) that is relying on the existence and security of a single laptop for its existence should be compelled to donate said squillions to the Wingnut P..ss Up campaign in recognition of their incompetence.

Will the CC afford one... And someone will have to pay for the water. Not so easy decisions to be taken...

So I'd opt for two at five, one burnt, still have one.