Yes, but a small fire in the cabin should not spread to the rest of the plane. Plane manafacturers have figured out by now that making seats etc. out of flammable material is not a good idea.
Also, I think it is statistically false that a large fraction of plane crashes are due to fire. In fact I don't even know of a plane crash that was caused by something in the passenger cabin itself catching fire.
One of my good friends works for Boeing to fireproof their planes. He has told me stories about planes going down because small fires that result in a crash.
They also now state multiple times before they take off that anyone bringing a note 7 onto a plane must bring it to the front so they can put in a fireproof case or they will literally go to jail. Fires on planes are A BIG DEAL. Example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Canada_Flight_797
>He has told me stories about planes going down because small fires that result in a crash.
Plane crashes aren't kept secret. As far as I know, there are no instances of an in cabin fire causing a crash on a modern airliner.
The fire you linked to was caused, most likely, by faulty wiring in an inaccessible part of the plane. A fire that happens inside the passenger cabin is likely to be detected immediately, and the crew have a very good chance of extinguishing it. It's also worth noting that the same kind of accident is unlikely to happen now owing to the additional safety measures that were mandated following the investigation.
So, yes, a fire on a plane is a big deal. But the actual chances of a plane being brought down by a cell phone that catches fire are pretty small.
