In one of the more predictable events imaginable, a fire broke out yesterday morning at a Chinese factory which supplied batteries for the infamously combustible Samsung Note 7.
Shin Yong-doo, a Samsung SDI spokesperson, told Bloomberg that a "minor fire" had occurred at the Tianjin plant's waste depository center which was quickly put out with the help of 110 firefighters and 19 fire trucks.
The company blamed the fire on "faulty batteries" which were being disposed of. Shin emphasized that the fire did not occur inside the factory's production facilities and did not affect production in any way. No one was injured in the incident.
Despite all these caveats, photos and videos of black smoke rising above the Samsung SDI quickly became popular on Chinese social media. While the fire was not serious, it certainly couldn't have been more appropriate.
Samsung SDI was one of two battery suppliers for the infamous Galaxy Note 7 smartphone that had to be recalled twice last year before being completely withdrawn from sale, causing billions of dollars in profits to go up in smoke for the tech company.
While Samsung has blamed the Note 7's combustibility on batteries supplied by Samsung SDI, that hasn't stopped them from contracting the manufacturer to produce batteries for the upcoming Galaxy S8.
In order to reassure consumers, Samsung SDI has reportedly invested $129 million into safety. The company operates five plants within China. The Tianjin plant is its main manufacturing center for small batteries.
While this may have been the most amusing factory fire in China on Wednesday, it certainly wasn't the most explosive. Last night, a massive fireball erupted out of a chemical plant in Anhui. Two people were injured in the blast.
