The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said users of  Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 should immediately stop using and power down their devices, as the smartphone was officially recalled in the market.

The CPSC said Samsung received 92 reports of batteries overheating in the US, including 26 reports of burns and 55 reports of property damage, including fires in cars and a garage.

Consumers should contact their operator or go to a retail outlet to receive free of charge a new Galaxy Note 7 with a different battery, a refund or a new replacement device, the watchdog said.

The formal recall comes after the South Korean firm urged users to “immediately participate” in a replacement programme.

Earlier this month, nonprofit organisation Consumer Reports said Samsung’s action “was not an official recall, which would have involved the CPSC and would have made it illegal to sell the phones”. This has now changed.

Samsung said the problem affects 2.5 million devices globally, including 1 million in the US.

“Because this product presents such a serious fire hazard, I am urging all consumers… to take advantage of this recall right away,” Elliot Kaye, chairman of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said, according to BBC.

He was critical of Samsung trying to coordinate recall efforts by itself: “Anybody who thinks that a company going out on its own is going to provide the best recall for that company, and more importantly for the consumer, needs to have more than their phone checked.”