Story by Isabel Keane

An American Airlines flight was diverted Saturday after a passenger’s device caught on fire.

American Airlines Flight 357, from Philadelphia to Phoenix, was forced to divert to Washington Dulles International Airport “following reports of smoke from a customer’s device,” the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The plane “landed safely” around noon at Dulles, the FAA added. Emergency personnel met the plane and helped the 160 passengers and six crew members off.

"The device was quickly contained by crew members prior to landing," American Airlines told The Independent in a statement.

The airline declined to specify what type of device caught fire.

Passenger Adriana Novello, 22, told ABC News that she was seated in an exit row and awoke to one of the flight attendants jumping on her seat to get the fire extinguisher.

"Then I started smelling smoke, and a lot of people on the plane were coughing," she said. "But I looked behind me, and what we could tell was that there was something on fire in the aisle."

It was not immediately clear what caused the device to catch on fire. The Independent has contacted the FAA for comment.

The flight had taken off from Philadelphia at 10:49 before it landed just around noon, according to the airline.

In a statement, American Airlines said they were able to book customers alternative flights.

The FAA is investigating the incident.

Publishing from 12 countries and in six languages, The Independent is a truly international news organisation. The first of the quality news brands to embrace a fully digital future in 2016, The Independent is the UK's largest quality digital news brand, and a top ten news brand by reach in the US.