Li-ion battery fires can emit toxic, highly-flammable, ether-based vapors and smoke that can quickly reduce visibility in an aircraft.
The recent recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone due to its potential to catch fire has highlighted the threat that all lithium-ion battery-powered devices present, especially on board an aircraft. With millions of mobile devices in use, training crews on how to deal with this possible hazard is now crucial. Since 1991, there have been 129 incidents involving aviation and lithium battery fires, 17 percent of them occurring in the last year alone, according to FAA statistics (although not all of these involved mobile devices).
