Minutes after takeoff from Dubai, the pilots of a UPS Boeing 747 are face to face with their worst nightmare. Behind them, a cargo pallet containing over 81,000 lithium batteries has caught fire.

The United Parcel Service (UPS) Flight 6 took off from Dubai International Airport Friday night for the company’s hub in Cologne, Germany, when it crashed at around 7.45 p.m. near the Nad al ...