Narrative:

The first F/a called the captain and informed him there was smoke and flames coming from the area of the oven in the front galley. I was sent aft by the captain. I picked up the halon fire extinguisher from the cockpit and proceeded to the front galley. I found smoke being generated from the area of the oven. It was very acrid and affected my vision almost immediately. I did not see any flames. I located 2 circuit breaker's next to the oven. They were AC and dc. The dc circuit breaker had popped, but the AC was still in so I pulled it out. Then I discharged some halon into the oven. It was almost empty except for 6 or 7 ceramic entree dishes with foil over the top. Next I went back to the cockpit to get the smoke mask and O2 bottle. Upon returning to the galley I found that smoke was no longer being generated. I observed the area for a time to ensure the fire/smoke source no longer existed. Finally I returned to the cockpit and informed the captain the fire was under control. I suggested maximum ventilation and he turned off the recirculation fans. Comments: the smoke smelled like chlorine. I did breathe O2 on and off from some time after returning to the cockpit. I also told the 2 F/a's in first class to come up to the cockpit and get O2. One did frequently, the other not as much. Some of the F/a's went with the paramedics to hospital in ny where 1 or 2 were found to have elevated CO2 blood gas levels. I was checked by a paramedic in lga. He took my blood pressure. I declined to go to the hospital as I did not feel bad after breathing O2. The paramedic said I looked ok and did not recommend I got to the hospital to have my blood gas level checked. F/a post incident comments: -the oven prior to the fire was cooking the meals fast and too hot. -Orange smoke and flames shot out of the oven at the time of the fire. -The foil covering the entree dishes caught fire during the emergency. -When the hospital people found elevated CO2 levels in the F/a's they became concerned about me. They were going to call until the F/a's told them I had been breathing O2 in the cockpit. Supplemental information from acn 108803: the first officer immediately left the cockpit to assess the situation. He returned in less than a minute to report that there was considerable smoke, but no flames. I shut off the recirculation fans and selected override on the equipment cooling panel to help remove the smoke. The first officer donned the full face O2 mask and took halon extinguisher and returned to the cabin. The F/a's entered the cockpit and displayed the effects of smoke inhalation. I put them on 100% O2 from the crew system. The fire was contained within the oven with no evidence of continued burning, smoke was dissipating, passenger reaction was good, F/a were improving with continued O2, I elected to continue to destination. On arrival paramedics expressed considerable concern that halon fire extinguishers were used inside an airplane and in fact the F/a's had considerably elevated CO2 levels in their blood.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR WDB GALLEY FIRE AT CRUISE ALT.

Narrative: THE FIRST F/A CALLED THE CAPT AND INFORMED HIM THERE WAS SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE AREA OF THE OVEN IN THE FRONT GALLEY. I WAS SENT AFT BY THE CAPT. I PICKED UP THE HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHER FROM THE COCKPIT AND PROCEEDED TO THE FRONT GALLEY. I FOUND SMOKE BEING GENERATED FROM THE AREA OF THE OVEN. IT WAS VERY ACRID AND AFFECTED MY VISION ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. I DID NOT SEE ANY FLAMES. I LOCATED 2 CB'S NEXT TO THE OVEN. THEY WERE AC AND DC. THE DC CB HAD POPPED, BUT THE AC WAS STILL IN SO I PULLED IT OUT. THEN I DISCHARGED SOME HALON INTO THE OVEN. IT WAS ALMOST EMPTY EXCEPT FOR 6 OR 7 CERAMIC ENTREE DISHES WITH FOIL OVER THE TOP. NEXT I WENT BACK TO THE COCKPIT TO GET THE SMOKE MASK AND O2 BOTTLE. UPON RETURNING TO THE GALLEY I FOUND THAT SMOKE WAS NO LONGER BEING GENERATED. I OBSERVED THE AREA FOR A TIME TO ENSURE THE FIRE/SMOKE SOURCE NO LONGER EXISTED. FINALLY I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT AND INFORMED THE CAPT THE FIRE WAS UNDER CONTROL. I SUGGESTED MAX VENTILATION AND HE TURNED OFF THE RECIRCULATION FANS. COMMENTS: THE SMOKE SMELLED LIKE CHLORINE. I DID BREATHE O2 ON AND OFF FROM SOME TIME AFTER RETURNING TO THE COCKPIT. I ALSO TOLD THE 2 F/A'S IN FIRST CLASS TO COME UP TO THE COCKPIT AND GET O2. ONE DID FREQUENTLY, THE OTHER NOT AS MUCH. SOME OF THE F/A'S WENT WITH THE PARAMEDICS TO HOSPITAL IN NY WHERE 1 OR 2 WERE FOUND TO HAVE ELEVATED CO2 BLOOD GAS LEVELS. I WAS CHKED BY A PARAMEDIC IN LGA. HE TOOK MY BLOOD PRESSURE. I DECLINED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL AS I DID NOT FEEL BAD AFTER BREATHING O2. THE PARAMEDIC SAID I LOOKED OK AND DID NOT RECOMMEND I GOT TO THE HOSPITAL TO HAVE MY BLOOD GAS LEVEL CHKED. F/A POST INCIDENT COMMENTS: -THE OVEN PRIOR TO THE FIRE WAS COOKING THE MEALS FAST AND TOO HOT. -ORANGE SMOKE AND FLAMES SHOT OUT OF THE OVEN AT THE TIME OF THE FIRE. -THE FOIL COVERING THE ENTREE DISHES CAUGHT FIRE DURING THE EMER. -WHEN THE HOSPITAL PEOPLE FOUND ELEVATED CO2 LEVELS IN THE F/A'S THEY BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT ME. THEY WERE GOING TO CALL UNTIL THE F/A'S TOLD THEM I HAD BEEN BREATHING O2 IN THE COCKPIT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 108803: THE F/O IMMEDIATELY LEFT THE COCKPIT TO ASSESS THE SITUATION. HE RETURNED IN LESS THAN A MINUTE TO RPT THAT THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE SMOKE, BUT NO FLAMES. I SHUT OFF THE RECIRCULATION FANS AND SELECTED OVERRIDE ON THE EQUIP COOLING PANEL TO HELP REMOVE THE SMOKE. THE F/O DONNED THE FULL FACE O2 MASK AND TOOK HALON EXTINGUISHER AND RETURNED TO THE CABIN. THE F/A'S ENTERED THE COCKPIT AND DISPLAYED THE EFFECTS OF SMOKE INHALATION. I PUT THEM ON 100% O2 FROM THE CREW SYS. THE FIRE WAS CONTAINED WITHIN THE OVEN WITH NO EVIDENCE OF CONTINUED BURNING, SMOKE WAS DISSIPATING, PAX REACTION WAS GOOD, F/A WERE IMPROVING WITH CONTINUED O2, I ELECTED TO CONTINUE TO DEST. ON ARR PARAMEDICS EXPRESSED CONSIDERABLE CONCERN THAT HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHERS WERE USED INSIDE AN AIRPLANE AND IN FACT THE F/A'S HAD CONSIDERABLY ELEVATED CO2 LEVELS IN THEIR BLOOD.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.