An American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Dallas was forced to deal with an in-flight fire after a passenger's laptop began smoking and burst into flames roughly 30 minutes before landing. Air traffic control audio captured the pilot reporting a "cabin fire" and warning that up to five passengers had been burned before flight attendants managed to contain the device, highlighting the ongoing safety risk posed by lithium-ion batteries in personal electronics on commercial aircraft.

Flight 2398, an Airbus A321 carrying 133 people, landed safely at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport at around 6:55pm on Friday, with emergency crews waiting on the tarmac. The laptop's owner placed the burning device in the aisle, and crew sealed it in a thermal containment bag within about five minutes; despite initial fears that several passengers were hurt, only one required treatment at the scene. The FAA, which has opened an investigation, says there have been 56 similar lithium-battery incidents on aircraft so far this year, a phenomenon known as "thermal runaway".