Originally Posted by YCTTSFM

A cigarette ash knocked into the crevice of a seat can smolder for a long time, then flash into major fire under the right conditions (like a high-oxygen environment…). Plenty of older aircraft are still flying whose interiors give off toxic fumes when on fire, too. This is one situation I'd rather see a FA overreact, than underreact.

AC 797 managed to land, and still people died.