More than 100 passengers were evacuated from a Southwest Airlines plane at Denver International Airport on November 15 after a passenger’s phone ignited, causing a nearby seat to catch fire. Flight 3316, a Boeing 737-700 preparing for departure to Houston, faced the emergency while parked at the gate

Evacuation chaos and injuries

Passengers in the rear exited via emergency slides, while those in the front used the jet bridge to escape the smoke-filled cabin. Preliminary reports indicate that one passenger sustained minor injuries during the evacuation, while the phone’s owner is being treated for burn injuries.

Crew members managed to extinguish the seat fire before it spread further, according to a Southwest Airlines spokesperson. “Southwest’s customer care team is working to accommodate the passengers on another aircraft to their original destination of Houston,” the airline said in a statement. They emphasized, “Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees. The incident remains under investigation.”

Eyewitness accounts and FAA involvement

Passenger Seth Anderson described the scene as panic erupted. “It must have been burning pretty rapidly because there was a pause, and then there was again, ‘Fire! Fire!’” Anderson told CBS. “That’s when all the panicking started on the plane.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed it will investigate the incident and later issued safety guidelines for traveling with lithium-ion devices. “Lithium-ion-powered devices, like cell phones and power banks, are safest with you inside the aircraft cabin as the crew are trained to quickly address events of smoke and fire,” the FAA wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Lithium battery risks on flights

FAA data highlights the growing risk of lithium batteries on aircraft. Since 2006, there have been 504 verified incidents involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat caused by such batteries, with 32 incidents reported so far in 2024. Most incidents stem from battery packs (206 occurrences), while phones have caused 68 reported cases. The incident underscores the ongoing challenges airlines face in managing the risks associated with lithium batteries on board.