Cellphone catches fire on Alaska Airlines jet upon landing

A file photo of a Boeing 737-A from Alaska Airlines parked on the tarmac in Arlington, Virginia. An Alaska Airlines spokesperson said a passenger’s phone ‘overheated and began sparking’ after Flight 751 from New Orleans landed at about 8.30pm Monday and was waiting for a gate. — AFP

SEATAC, Washington: The cellphone of a passenger on an Alaska Airlines jet caught fire after the plane landed at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, forcing the crew to deploy evacuation slides to get everyone off, the carrier said on Aug 24.

Ray Lane, an Alaska Airlines spokesperson, said the passenger’s phone “overheated and began sparking” after Flight 751 from New Orleans landed at about 8.30pm Monday and was waiting for a gate.