Southwest Airlines Scare Revealed After Cellphone Ignites in Flames

Yahoo

04-05-2025

A Southwest Airlines plane returned to the gate after a passenger's cellphone ignited on the aircraft.
According to CBS News, a fire broke out, likely from a "battery inside a passenger's cellphone," which "appeared to go up in flames as the plane moved down the tarmac."
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to CBS that the plane returned to its gate at El Paso International Airport due to a "passenger disturbance" that the agency is investigating.
"Southwest Airlines Flight 2112 returned to the gate at El Paso International Airport yesterday morning after the battery inside a passenger's cell phone apparently ignited," Southwest told CBS in a statement.
After the flight crew put out the fire, passengers "disembarked normally," the spokesperson told CBS.
According to WFAA-TV, the aircraft was headed to Houston, TX. The incident occurred on April 30, 2025.
"Southwest is working with the appropriate federal and local investigative agencies," the airline said to WFAA. "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."
The fire occurred as Flight WN2112 "was preparing for departure," according to Aviation 2z. No one was injured, the site reported.
That site added that passengers were able to make it to Houston on a different plane.
PCMag explains that cellphone batteries are not likely to explode, but it does happen.
"There are many reasons a smartphone may catch fire or explode, and it almost always has to do with the device's battery," that site explained.
The lithium-ion batteries in modern smartphones "contain a careful balance of positive and negative electrodes to allow for recharging," PCMag reported, and sometimes the " inner components of the battery can break down and create a volatile reaction that could lead to fires."