File photo (AP)
An American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix was forced to make an emergency landing on Saturday, after a passenger’s electronic device caught fire mid-air, causing smoke inside the cabin.Flight 357, carrying 160 passengers and six crew members, landed safely at Washington Dulles International Airport around 11:50 a.m., where it was met by emergency responders, according to the US federal aviation administration (FAA). The exact device that caused the fire has not been disclosed, reported ABC news.American Airlines confirmed the incident in a statement: “The device was quickly contained by crew members prior to landing.”Passenger Adriana Novello, 22, told the news portal that she woke up to a flight attendant rushing for the fire extinguisher. “Then I started smelling smoke, and a lot of people on the plane were coughing,” she said. “But I looked behind me, and what we could tell was that there was something on fire in the aisle.”As smartphones and portable chargers have become more common, the number of in-flight fires caused by these devices has gone up sharply. In February, the FAA said such incidents have increased by 388% over the last 10 years.Several similar incidents have occurred recently. Earlier this year, a power bank caught fire on a Batik Airlines flight from Malaysia to Bangkok, filling the cabin with smoke. A comparable event occurred during an AirAsia flight in Thailand last winter.In light of these risks, the US transportation security administration (TSA) has recently updated its “don’t pack” list. Newly restricted items include gas-powered curling irons and flat irons, as well as gas refills, though corded versions remain allowed in luggage.All passengers and crew on the American Airlines flight were safe, and the flight was rescheduled after the incident.
