A mobile phone caught fire in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines plane that landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state, United States, which is suspected to be a Samsung Galaxy A21. Samsung immediately responded and investigated the incident.
When the incident occurred, the Alaska Airlines plane had just landed after traveling from New Orleans on Monday (23/8) evening local time. After landing in Seattle, the phone started to overheat and sparks.
Perry Cooper, a spokesman for the Port of Seattle, which operates the airport, said the device that caught fire was suspected to be a Samsung Galaxy A21.
"After a lengthy investigation, I can reveal that the phone has burned beyond recognition," Cooper said in an email to The Seattle Times, as quoted from Cnet, Wednesday (25/8/2021).
"However, during an interview with one of the Port of Seattle security officers, the passenger who owned the cellphone said the cellphone was a Samsung Galaxy A21. Again, we couldn't confirm it by looking at the remains of the device," he continued.
An Alaska Airlines spokesman said cabin crew used fire extinguishers and special bags to store the burning batteries to stop the smoke escaping from the phones. One of the passengers described the condition of the cabin at the time of the incident as a 'smoke machine'.
That's me on my phone on the right. The passenger was 2-3 rows behind me on the opposite side. It was like a smoke machine. Flight attendants did an excellent job and all passengers were very calm. I believe one person sitting beside them might have minor injuries.
— Maddy Harrison (@Madddzh) August 24, 2021
All passengers on the plane were then evacuated using an evacuation slide due to the smoke-filled cabin conditions.
In a Twitter announcement, the Port of Seattle said 128 passengers and six cabin crew were taken to the airport terminal by bus and none were seriously injured. An Alaska Airlines spokesman said two passengers were taken to a local hospital.
Samsung immediately responded quickly. A Samsung spokesperson said it was aware of the situation and was conducting an in-depth investigation into this incident.