In what can only be described as a blaze of irony, batteries are being blamed for a fire that occurred Wednesday at a Samsung factory in China.
Samsung, which last month blamed batteries for its exploding Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, said the fire broke out in an area of the company’s Tianjin plant used to store faulty batteries and other waste products.
The Wuqing branch of the Tianjin Fire Department reported in a verified social media post that it sent 110 firefighters and 19 trucks to the scene.
The fire department specifically cited lithium batteries as the fuel behind the conflagration.
The Korean company called the fire “minor” and said that it didn’t affect production. Video posted on social media showed black plumes of smoke rising from a building. No injuries were reported.
Since the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, Samsung has worked to assure the public that its products are safe.
Last month, the company released the results of a lengthy investigation that revealed design flaws in two different sets of its batteries. Those flaws caused the products to heat up to dangerous levels, they said.
“Today, more than ever, we are committed to earning the trust of our customers through innovation that redefines what is possible in safety, and as a gateway to unlimited possibilities and incredible new experiences,” Dongjin Koh, Samsung’s president of mobile, said at the time.