WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Airline passengers with replacement Samsung Electronics Galaxy Note 7 smartphones should power them down and not stow them in checked baggage due to a fire risk, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday.

Samsung halted sales of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones and told owners to stop using them while it investigates reports of fires. Samsung has recalled 2.5 million Note 7s due to faulty batteries and is investigating reports of fires in replacement devices.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler)