US flight evacuated after another Samsung phone fire

A Southwest Airlines flight leaving Louisville, Kentucky, was evacuated on Wednesday after a passenger's Samsung phone began emitting smoke. Flight 994 was evacuated on the runway prior to takeoff after a passenger's Samsung Galaxy Note 7 - described as a replacement in Samsung's global recall of the device - apparently caught fire, the airline said. "All customers and crew deplaned calmly and safely via the main cabin door," it said. There is an ongoing global recall of the South Korean phone-maker's "phablet" due to explosions caused by faulty batteries. The company suspended sales of the oversized device and recalled 2.5m units worldwide last month. Some 60% of US consumers had swapped their devices for replacements by the end of last month. Brian Green - whom US media identified as the man whose phone caused the evacuation of the Southwest flight - said that his device was a replacement. The tech news website The Verge reported that he had powered down the phone for takeoff, an account The New York Times confirmed through other eyewitnesses. The heat damage from the apparent explosion was so severe that a fire official could not independently verify the model of the phone, according to ABC News.<br/>