US and Australian carriers suspended sales and exchanges of the device, while major airlines reiterated bans on passengers using the phones. This comes after smoke from a replacement Note7 forced passengers to evacuate from a plane in the US last week.

Samsung said it had requested all global carriers to stop sales of the Note7s and the exchange of original devices for replacements, while it worked with regulators to investigate the problem.

"Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device," the company said in a statement.

The company has since recalled 2.5 million Note7s due to faulty batteries, and the latest reports of fires in replacement devices is raising fresh doubts about the firm's quality control procedures.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said Samsung was making the right decision by halting sales and exchanges of the device.

"No one should have to be concerned their phone will endanger them, their family or their property," CPSC chairman Elliott Kaye said in a statement.

"While we continue our active investigation into reports of phones overheating and burning in multiple states, consumers should power down and stop using all Galaxy Note7s. This is the safest course of action."

APMEN Web News, Oct 2016