Cell Phone Overheats, Forces Evacuation of Flight

Image: Cell phone in the airplane. (Photo via Chalabala / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Image: Cell phone in the airplane. (Photo via Chalabala / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 10:16 AM ET, Wed August 25, 2021

There were scary moments aboard an Alaska Airlines flight on Monday night just after it landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

A passenger's cell phone apparently overheated and began sparking, forcing passengers and crew to evacuate the plane, according to KING5-TV.

Fortunately, while some crew members led the evacuation, other crew members quickly sprung into action and used a battery containment bag to stop the phone from smoking and sparking.

According to KING5, the special fire containment bags have been in use on Alaska Airlines flights since 2016. They are meant to reduce the risk of mid-flight lithium-ion battery fires and are designed specifically for mobile devices like cell phones and laptops.

Nonetheless, the evacuation slides on Flight 751 needed to be deployed due to smoky conditions in the cabin, and some passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation. At least two customers were taken to a local hospital for treatment, Alaska Airlines told the TV station.

A total of 129 passengers and six crew were on the flight from New Orleans to Seattle.


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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