Passengers Evacuated Quickly after Phone Charger Starts Smoking; “injuries mostly were smoke inhalation and bruised elbows”

By B.N. Frank

You can’t be too careful when charging cell phones and other wireless devices. Charging gear emits biologically harmful electromagnetic fields (EMF) which is why medical professionals advise that we charge phones and other devices outside of the bedroom. For those not concerned about exposure risks, chargers can and do cause other hazardous situations as well.

From Newser:

Passengers Slide Off Plane as Phone Charger Starts Smoking

No one is seriously injured in evacuation of JetBlue flight at JFK

By Bob Cronin, Newser Staff

Passengers took to the emergency slides Saturday after a smoke was reported on a JetBlue plane just after it landed in New York. Seven people sustained minor injuries in the evacuation. The smoke was reported shortly just before 9pm, after Flight 662 arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport from Bridgetown, Barbados, CNN reports. A JetBlue statement said the cause was a passenger’s electronic device.

The FAA later reported that the evacuation of the Airbus A320 was prompted by a smoking phone charger, per the Daily News, noticed while the plane was taxiing to its gate. The Port Authority of New York said 67 people used the slides, and another 60 or so left the plane the usual way. The injuries mostly were smoke inhalation and bruised elbows, and no one needed to be hospitalized. JetBlue said it has begun an investigation. (Read more evacuation stories.)