Narrative:

As director of safety this is the report I received: at approximately XX45 CST dispatch was notified there had been an onboard fire in the aft galley oven approximately 30 mins after departure. The flight attendant had turned on the oven to preheat. A small explosion in oven was heard by flight attendant. 2 flight attendants went to investigate and when flight attendant opened the oven, flames shot out singeing her hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. She sustained a small burn on her right forehead. Lead flight attendant grabbed halon fire extinguisher and put out fire. The captain directed an onboard mechanic back to aft galley to investigate. Due to location flight was continued to destination. Upon landing the captain took flight attendant to airport nurse who directed her to a medical center. She was seen by physician at medical center and released. There was no damage to aircraft or oven, but a report was filed with FAA. Investigation: an aerosol can of air freshener had at some point been placed in oven for storage which during oven preheat caused it to rupture. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states he sent in the report to see how the system works. He is director of safety, not the injured flight attendant. The company is still looking into the situation and trying to determine how the aerosol container was placed in the oven. It was thought to be from the cleaning crew, but seems more likely to have been a flight attendant. This company had been serving mostly cold meals and ovens were not used. The oven may have become a temporary storage area during this time. Now hot meals are being served. The investigation is addressing the question of what kind of aerosol is carried on board the aircraft and should any aerosol be on board? The company is establishing a program to reiterate policy during recurrent training and through memos regarding oven turn on procedures to avoid any further incidents. FAA is being informed of all measures involved in the investigation. Supplemental information from acn 388363: we were very lucky that there were 3 flight attendants in the galley at the same time. They each made a response which saved the aircraft from further damage. 1 flight attendant held the curtains out of the way so they did not hang in the fire, 1 flight attendant threw burning items from the galley to the floor so the fire could not spread to other galley items, and the third rapidly grabbed an extinguisher and put out the fire. This problem could be easily avoided by not using the ovens for storage and also by checking them just before turning them on. Both the first officer and I were concerned about us continuing away from the airport while we waited for an assessment from the flight mechanic. It took 5 mins to hear from the flight mechanic that the fire was out. During that time we traveled almost 30 mi away from the airport. The captain was concerned about unnecessary paperwork and ATC disruption. That is why we did not turn back. It is hard to question someone's judgement but had the flight attendants not been able to extinguish the fire we would have compounded our problems. The flight continued to las without incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DIRECTOR OF SAFETY RPTS ON AN INCIDENT IN WHICH AN OVEN WAS TURNED ON TO PREHEAT. A SMALL EXPLOSIVE SOUND WAS HEARD. WHEN OPENING THE OVEN TO INVESTIGATE, A CABIN ATTENDANT WAS SINGED AND RECEIVED A BURN ON THE FOREHEAD. FIRE WAS PUT OUT WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

Narrative: AS DIRECTOR OF SAFETY THIS IS THE RPT I RECEIVED: AT APPROX XX45 CST DISPATCH WAS NOTIFIED THERE HAD BEEN AN ONBOARD FIRE IN THE AFT GALLEY OVEN APPROX 30 MINS AFTER DEP. THE FLT ATTENDANT HAD TURNED ON THE OVEN TO PREHEAT. A SMALL EXPLOSION IN OVEN WAS HEARD BY FLT ATTENDANT. 2 FLT ATTENDANTS WENT TO INVESTIGATE AND WHEN FLT ATTENDANT OPENED THE OVEN, FLAMES SHOT OUT SINGEING HER HAIR, EYEBROWS, AND EYELASHES. SHE SUSTAINED A SMALL BURN ON HER R FOREHEAD. LEAD FLT ATTENDANT GRABBED HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND PUT OUT FIRE. THE CAPT DIRECTED AN ONBOARD MECH BACK TO AFT GALLEY TO INVESTIGATE. DUE TO LOCATION FLT WAS CONTINUED TO DEST. UPON LNDG THE CAPT TOOK FLT ATTENDANT TO ARPT NURSE WHO DIRECTED HER TO A MEDICAL CTR. SHE WAS SEEN BY PHYSICIAN AT MEDICAL CTR AND RELEASED. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO ACFT OR OVEN, BUT A RPT WAS FILED WITH FAA. INVESTIGATION: AN AEROSOL CAN OF AIR FRESHENER HAD AT SOME POINT BEEN PLACED IN OVEN FOR STORAGE WHICH DURING OVEN PREHEAT CAUSED IT TO RUPTURE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HE SENT IN THE RPT TO SEE HOW THE SYS WORKS. HE IS DIRECTOR OF SAFETY, NOT THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANT. THE COMPANY IS STILL LOOKING INTO THE SIT AND TRYING TO DETERMINE HOW THE AEROSOL CONTAINER WAS PLACED IN THE OVEN. IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE FROM THE CLEANING CREW, BUT SEEMS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN A FLT ATTENDANT. THIS COMPANY HAD BEEN SERVING MOSTLY COLD MEALS AND OVENS WERE NOT USED. THE OVEN MAY HAVE BECOME A TEMPORARY STORAGE AREA DURING THIS TIME. NOW HOT MEALS ARE BEING SERVED. THE INVESTIGATION IS ADDRESSING THE QUESTION OF WHAT KIND OF AEROSOL IS CARRIED ON BOARD THE ACFT AND SHOULD ANY AEROSOL BE ON BOARD? THE COMPANY IS ESTABLISHING A PROGRAM TO REITERATE POLICY DURING RECURRENT TRAINING AND THROUGH MEMOS REGARDING OVEN TURN ON PROCS TO AVOID ANY FURTHER INCIDENTS. FAA IS BEING INFORMED OF ALL MEASURES INVOLVED IN THE INVESTIGATION. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 388363: WE WERE VERY LUCKY THAT THERE WERE 3 FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE GALLEY AT THE SAME TIME. THEY EACH MADE A RESPONSE WHICH SAVED THE ACFT FROM FURTHER DAMAGE. 1 FLT ATTENDANT HELD THE CURTAINS OUT OF THE WAY SO THEY DID NOT HANG IN THE FIRE, 1 FLT ATTENDANT THREW BURNING ITEMS FROM THE GALLEY TO THE FLOOR SO THE FIRE COULD NOT SPREAD TO OTHER GALLEY ITEMS, AND THE THIRD RAPIDLY GRABBED AN EXTINGUISHER AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. THIS PROB COULD BE EASILY AVOIDED BY NOT USING THE OVENS FOR STORAGE AND ALSO BY CHKING THEM JUST BEFORE TURNING THEM ON. BOTH THE FO AND I WERE CONCERNED ABOUT US CONTINUING AWAY FROM THE ARPT WHILE WE WAITED FOR AN ASSESSMENT FROM THE FLT MECH. IT TOOK 5 MINS TO HEAR FROM THE FLT MECH THAT THE FIRE WAS OUT. DURING THAT TIME WE TRAVELED ALMOST 30 MI AWAY FROM THE ARPT. THE CAPT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT UNNECESSARY PAPERWORK AND ATC DISRUPTION. THAT IS WHY WE DID NOT TURN BACK. IT IS HARD TO QUESTION SOMEONE'S JUDGEMENT BUT HAD THE FLT ATTENDANTS NOT BEEN ABLE TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE WE WOULD HAVE COMPOUNDED OUR PROBS. THE FLT CONTINUED TO LAS WITHOUT INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.