An Alaska Airlines commercial jet carrying 135 people had to be evacuated last week after a passenger’s cell phone burst into flames, according to KIRO-TV. Alaska Air Flight 751 from New Orleans had just landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and was taxiing to a gate when the phone, a Samsung Galaxy A21, began to catch on fire.
“It happened faster than I could explain it to you. It was just really quick,” passenger Kathy Mandeville told KIRO-TV. She and the other passengers were instructed by the crew to use the inflatable slides to evacuate the plane. Instructions were given to move quickly and leave their bags behind while the crew attacked the blazing phone with three fire extinguishers.
“You could hear it spraying and spraying, and then [the flight attendant] called for another,” Mandeville said.The FAA said it released a training video about the danger of lithium-ion batteries in cell phones overheating and catching on fire. Alaska Airlines said it equips its crews with fireproof battery containment bags, and used one once the blaze was contained and the phone could be handled. Two passengers went to a hospital with minor injuries, KIRO-TV reported.
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