A Samsung Galaxy A21 Smartphone Caught Fire on a Plane

[ian87w]

Who can we blame?

Just like any phone battery catching fire, a lot of factors can play into this. And no, iPhones are not immune. It’s just the nature of lithium ion battery.

Some possibilities:
- improper charging. Be it from random chargers or even an airplane’s own USB port. Coupled with bad cables, things can happen.
- manufacturer defect. In the end, these lithium batteries are mass produced. Even Apple had recalls on batteries for iPhones and MacBooks. Human made stuff will never be 100% perfect.
- design defect. Clear example is the Note 7. Unfortunately, on the lower end models, Samsung does outsource them (designs and everything) to ODMs, and slab Samsung brand on it. Not sure if the A21 is one of these, but A10 or lower were definitely ODM, not Samsung original design.

In any case, nobody knows at this point.

 

[mayga1]

I saw this in Seattle Times and I knew it would be a matter of time before it was posted here. We know there are all kinds of apple devices that caught fire but to hear anything that gives memories of a Note 7 gets people jumping for joy.

 

[mayga1]

Wow…here we go again. Why would u just not buy an iPhone? It boggles the mind….I think the reason is that smartphones are so important to people’s lives that they would rather suffer with a galaxy then admit they were wrong about such an important purchase….btw I hate getting that puke green text back.

You can't possibly be serious. MR let 12 year olds on their comments now?

 

[Johnny907]

Ugh it didn’t catch fire, there were no flames. The battery melted down and spewed chemical smoke until a flight attendant was able to secure the thing inside a special insulated bag designed specifically for the purpose of containing Lithium ion batteries like this. They evacuated the plane via slide because that is protocol anytime something like this happens.
So tired of the Seattle Times dumping hyperbole and over exaggeration into all of their articles. This incident was notable enough without causing an air safety freak out.

 

[jwolf6589]

I really hope airplanes do not enforce people to turn off their devices before getting departed from the airplane.

They may and iPhone users will also suffer. Well no matter since I use a iPad in flight and turn my phone off anyways.

 

[hot-gril]

Wow…here we go again. Why would u just not buy an iPhone?

If you're poor, don't like Apple, or have specific needs for Android. I'm the second one now.

 

[hot-gril]

I really hope airplanes do not enforce people to turn off their devices before getting departed from the airplane.

No, only Android phones.

 

[hot-gril]

Kind of overreacting to a small fire. Evacuating passengers using the slides was unnecessary. There are people injured because of that. Thousand of dollars cost to make the plane operational again. Lithium powered devices are common enough that proper training should be given to flight attendants. Is not a bomb…

Could've been a bomb.

 

[jseymour]

I really hope airplanes do not enforce people to turn off their devices before getting departed from the airplane.

If it's a battery defect, turning off the device will not necessarily prevent the problem.

 

[JCCL]

No.

The story about an iPhone 6 fire on a flight to Hawaii didn't make front page news because it was one tiny isolated incident... kinda like this one about the Samsung A21

iPhone 6 catches fire on flight to Hawaii

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3500697/Girl-s-iPhone-catches-fire-Alaska-Airlines-flight-Hawaii-eight-inch-flames-erupting-smartphone-passengers-scrambled-aisles.html

forums.macrumors.com

Story about airlines banning Mac laptops did make front page though

Some Airlines Banning All MacBook Pros From Checked Luggage and Preventing Use During Flights

Following Apple's recall of some 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro models with faulty batteries, airlines around the world are starting to implement bans,...

www.macrumors.com

I don't even recall seeing MR report on the iPhone XR fire

iPhone XR caught fire after getting trapped in airline passenger's seat

Sulphorous stench was self-immolating Apple product

www.theregister.com

though the iPhone 4 fire did make front page, but it didn't happen on a plane.

Firefighter's iPhone 4 "Spontaneously Caught Fire" While Charging

A firefighter in the Pennsylvanian town of East Brandywine experienced a close call with his iPhone 4 earlier this month, according to a post on the East Brandywine Fire Company's website. The department notes that the phone has been sent to Apple headquarters in California so the company's...

forums.macrumors.com

Great post!

 

[2010mini]

Kind of overreacting to a small fire. Evacuating passengers using the slides was unnecessary. There are people injured because of that. Thousand of dollars cost to make the plane operational again. Lithium powered devices are common enough that proper training should be given to flight attendants. Is not a bomb…

No. This is standard procedure. From reports the phone was smoking. The cabin of aircrafts are small and smoke related health issues can dangerous. Lives costs more than property.

 

[sw1tcher]

Not so much…

Safety warning: Samsung user says phone caught fire and exploded

A Samsung A20e handset recently caught fire and exploded for a user in California. If this happens to your device, here's what you need to do.

www.komando.com

Another Samsung owner says phone EXPLODED – almost giving her 'severe burns'

A SAMSUNG customer claims his phone exploded, setting fire to towels and almost giving her “severe burns”. The disgruntled owner says she’s “done with Samsung” after t…

www.the-sun.com

Samsung phone catches fire and destroys car, says Detroit woman

Alleged phone-caused fire is still under investigation.

www.cnet.com

mmm

Alleged Samsung Phone Bursts Into Flames; Singes Man’s Arm, Hair: See Video

Although the charred phone was later shown in the video, it couldn’t be verified if it was actually a Samsung phone.

gadgets.ndtv.com

Now do Apple. Show us what you find. If you're honest, you will find many instances too. But you'd probably never say "Apple’s devices are well known to be getting on fire"

I already listed a few on page 1 as did jclo on page 2

 

[DeepIn2U]

View attachment 1822912View attachment 1822913View attachment 1822914

ahem, I wasn’t just talking smartphones ….

All Samsung phones - page 16

www.gsmarena.com

This is 1996 as far back as gsmarena has cataloged.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Great post!

Not so great, 1 listing isn’t a phone, the topic is smartphone(s) on fire.
this happens with every manufacturer just none have been featured in a very popular game like GTA for characters to equip as a bomber in the game lol.

 

[retta283]

This is one case where I really don't see why this is on MR. I can see reporting on the release of a new phone or some big industry event that is nominally unrelated to Apple but affects their market, this is such a one-off incident that it seems completely irrelevant. Oh well...

 

[Orlymia]

 

[amartinez1660]

What will Samsung’s recommendation be:
“Don’t leave your smartphone in the garage over night, leave it outside”
These batteries can cause hazard, whether in a phone or in a car…

Yes, exactly my thoughts. What if someone had one of these Samsungs, decided to go for a jog for 1hr, no phones this time for a change, to then come back to a chaotic scenery of fire, firetrucks, crisis and the house/apartment/place burnt down.
Same with anything of any brand in general that could suddenly combust.

You know what? Let Apple throttle my phone down if it determines that the battery and/or phone’s health is degrading… better a few milliseconds slower loading a webpage than a full home scorched.

 

[mi7chy]

Wow…here we go again. Why would u just not buy an iPhone? It boggles the mind….I think the reason is that smartphones are so important to people’s lives that they would rather suffer with a galaxy then admit they were wrong about such an important purchase….btw I hate getting that puke green text back.

You might want to take a chemistry 101 class and be informed.

 

[mayga1]

This is one case where I really don't see why this is on MR. I can see reporting on the release of a new phone or some big industry event that is nominally unrelated to Apple but affects their market, this is such a one-off incident that it seems completely irrelevant. Oh well...

As long as it's negative press for apple's main competitor, it is always relevant. The macbook fires was reported for one day by just a few media outlets and it mysteriously disappeared. This one is going to hang around for few days by several different outlets. I wouldn't be surprised if more fires mysteriously pop up with Samsung devices; especially with the fold and flip.

 

[lolkthxbai]

Uh oh here we go again…📱💥

I’m glad no one was hurt.

Actually, two people reportedly suffered minor injuries.

 

[lolkthxbai]

Kind of overreacting to a small fire. Evacuating passengers using the slides was unnecessary. There are people injured because of that. Thousand of dollars cost to make the plane operational again. Lithium powered devices are common enough that proper training should be given to flight attendants. Is not a bomb…

Battery fires produce chemical vapor and smoke. Inhalation of the chemical vapor and smoke is a health and safety hazard. Evacuation was the highest priority and the airline made the right call to use the slides.

 

[abhibeckert]

The flight crew extinguished the fire with a battery containment bag

People on the plane also said "several" fire extinguishers were used. Which would explain why the entire plane was full of "smoke" - most of it probably came from the extinguishers... which wouldn't have been very effective as they're not the right suppression method for a lithium fire.

 

[willchris]

Wow…here we go again. Why would u just not buy an iPhone? It boggles the mind….I think the reason is that smartphones are so important to people’s lives that they would rather suffer with a galaxy then admit they were wrong about such an important purchase….btw I hate getting that puke green text back.

Imagine being so superficial and bragging about it...

 

[iHorseHead]

Wow…here we go again. Why would u just not buy an iPhone? It boggles the mind….I think the reason is that smartphones are so important to people’s lives that they would rather suffer with a galaxy then admit they were wrong about such an important purchase….btw I hate getting that puke green text back.

Important purchase? It's just a phone!

 

[transpo1]

I mean, shall I say it? “Those new Samsung phones are hot” 🔥