On October 4th, a netizen posted a video claiming that “when Shanghai Metro Line 9 was approaching Xingzhong Road Station, smoke suddenly spread inside the carriage, with people shouting ‘fire!’ and many passengers fleeing.” The video sparked discussions online.
Many Shanghai netizens commented on the video, with one saying, “I was on the train at that time, in the chaos, I couldn’t find my Daoxiangcun pastries.” Another added, “I was also on that subway train. When the crowd surged, I was in a state of confusion and got pushed to the rear of the carriage, thinking if there was a zombie crisis?”
According to the Shanghai Metro report, around 12:20 pm on October 4th, a passenger’s mobile phone suddenly emitted smoke inside a carriage at Xingzhong Road Station on Line 9. At the same time, an emergency door handle was accidentally pulled down, leading to some passengers getting off the train. After emergency handling at the station, the train resumed operation, and fortunately, no injuries were reported.
One netizen mentioned, “My brother asked someone for a bottle of mineral water to extinguish the phone.” Another recalled, “The phone caught fire by itself. I was on the train at that time, and it was terrifying.”
Many netizens questioned, “Which phone was it?” Some speculated, “It’s probably a domestic phone; otherwise, they would have mentioned the brand. Chinese people always have double standards for domestic products.” Another comment read, “Not revealing the brand means that brand has protection.” There were also speculations that no one dared to report the phone model fearing embarrassment.
Some added, “The incident may not be significant, but the resulting chaos could have serious consequences.”
According to Xinmin Evening News, there have been two recent incidents of electronic devices catching fire on Shanghai Metro. On September 22nd around 2 pm, a passenger on Shanghai Rail Transit Line 8 had a power bank in their bag suddenly catch fire while riding the escalator at Dashijie Station. Subway staff and passengers quickly extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher, and thankfully, no one was injured.