The cabin of an Alaska Airlines plane that had just landed in Seattle on Monday night caught fire from a cell phone. According to Perry Cooper, spokesperson for the Port of Seattle (Samsung Galaxy A21), the phone caught fire in the cabin of an Alaska Airlines flight that landed in Seattle on Monday evening.
Cooper stated in an email to The Seattle Times that the phone had been destroyed beyond recognition after much research. The passenger did however confirm that the phone was a Samsung Galaxy A21 during an interview with a Port of Seattle Police officer. We could not confirm the phone's authenticity by inspecting the remains.
The Verge asked Samsung for comments but did not receive a response immediately.
A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines told The Verge that crew used fire extinguishers as well as a battery containment bag to prevent the phone from smoking. Two passengers were taken from the plane by the evacuation slides, which were made due to the cabin's hazy conditions. One Twitter user described the cabin as a smoke machine.
This is me with my phone to the right. On the other side, I was 2-3 rows behind the passenger. It was almost like a smoke machine. The flight attendants were excellent and all passengers were calm. One person sitting next to them may have minor injuries. Maddy Harrison (@Madddzh), August 24, 2021
According to a tweet from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's, passengers were transported by bus to the terminal. Two passengers were then treated at a local hospital by an Alaska Airlines spokesperson.
The situation might remind us of Samsung's recall of its Galaxy Note 7 due to fears of exploding battery, but it is not clear if there are any common defects with the A21. Numerous cases of phones catching on fire have been reported across different brands. Here's how those batteries catch fire.
