Samsung Phone Bursts Into Flames On Plane, Resulting In Emergency Evacuation
Image via ID 125364448 © Kawee Wateesatogkij | Dreamstime.com
An Alaska Airlines flight that landed at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport had caught on fire, and created so much smoke that passengers had to be emergency-evacuated via inflatable slides.
Turns out, the source of the fire was a Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy A21, as reported by The Seattle Times. The owner of the device had confirmed this to authorities, though no visual identification could be made due to how badly damaged the device was.
According to the Associated Press, the passenger’s phone had “overheated and [begun] sparking,” before spontaneously bursting into flames.
The crew tried to use a battery containment bag—an emergency device aboard flights—to put out the fire, but it had produced so much smoke that the plane had to be evacuated, as per Android Authority.
Samsung has yet to comment on the incident, though this will no doubt bring up memories of the brand’s Galaxy Note 7 recall. According to CNET, dozens of the smartphones had exploded or burst into flames, leading to the brand announcing a global recall and replacement for every phone.
Although this seems to be an isolated incident regarding the Galaxy A21, there are still minimal risks of fires and explosions with the lithium-ion batteries used in smartphones and other devices. Fortunately, no one was hurt this time.
[via Android Authority and CNET, cover image via ID 125364448 © Kawee Wateesatogkij | Dreamstime.com]
Also check out these recent news
