Narrative:

While in cruise at FL380; the 'a' flight attendant called and notified us that they (the flight attendants) could smell electrical fumes in the cabin in the area near rows 1 through 5. I asked them to check the forward lavatory and galley and overhead bins for any source that might be the cause and they indicated that they were already completing the search of those specific areas. They also had checked all personal electronics they saw being used for excessive warmth or hot batteries. During the discussion; I turned off the galley power and recirculation fan; informed the 'a' that we had shut off the power to the galley and asked them to report back in two minutes to see if there was any improvement. During this time; I referred to the QRH for guidance on any other trouble shooting ideas we could try. I also discussed the possibility of diverting with the first officer if we could not identify and correct the problem quickly. After the two minutes; there was no improvement so I instructed them to turn off all fluorescent lighting in the aircraft (as recommended in the QRH) and call me back in another two minutes. While I was discussing the problem with the 'a' flight attendant; the first officer obtained the ACARS metar for our diversion airport and programmed the opc. After the two minutes; the 'a' reported there was no improvement. (It should be noted that all three flight attendants could smell the fumes; as well as a few passengers). Also during the entire event; no fumes or other indications were evident in the cockpit. The aircraft's flight path was taking us toward our diversion airport; and at this point I informed the flight attendants that we would be landing and to secure the cabin for landing. I informed the passengers that we had an electrical problem which through an 'abundance of caution' required us to land in order for us to address it. We notified ATC and requested a clearance to [a divert airport]. They cleared us direct and gave us an initial descent to 17;000 ft. The first officer ran the QRH for smoke/fire/fumes on the aircraft and then the smoke removal checklist. Those checklists were completed as we approached 10;000 ft; allowing both of us to focus on the task of landing at an unfamiliar airport near mountainous terrain. During the descent; dispatch was notified via ACARS of our situation and intentions and the landing was uneventful. The time from top of descent to landing was approximately 12 minutes. We turned off the runway and were met by the airport fire/rescue trucks; and they immediately scanned the aircraft with and reported to us that there were no unusual hot spots or visible smoke. I informed the passengers and crew to remain seated as we would be taxiing to a parking spot on the airport. After shutdown; the fire crews did a more detailed inspection of the forward interior and could find anything unusual; and the passengers were taken by bus to the terminal. The 'a' flight attendant agreed to be my point of contact with that group; and dispatch and maintenance control were contacted by phone to begin the process of accommodating our passengers and seeing to the maintenance needs of the aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Flight crew of a B737-700 was notified of electrical burning smell in cabin; they declared an emergency and landed uneventfully. The source of the smoke was unknown.

Narrative: While in cruise at FL380; the 'A' Flight Attendant called and notified us that they (the flight attendants) could smell electrical fumes in the cabin in the area near rows 1 through 5. I asked them to check the forward lavatory and galley and overhead bins for any source that might be the cause and they indicated that they were already completing the search of those specific areas. They also had checked all personal electronics they saw being used for excessive warmth or hot batteries. During the discussion; I turned off the galley power and recirculation fan; informed the 'A' that we had shut off the power to the galley and asked them to report back in two minutes to see if there was any improvement. During this time; I referred to the QRH for guidance on any other trouble shooting ideas we could try. I also discussed the possibility of diverting with the First Officer if we could not identify and correct the problem quickly. After the two minutes; there was no improvement so I instructed them to turn off all fluorescent lighting in the aircraft (as recommended in the QRH) and call me back in another two minutes. While I was discussing the problem with the 'A' Flight Attendant; the First Officer obtained the ACARS METAR for our diversion airport and programmed the OPC. After the two minutes; the 'A' reported there was no improvement. (It should be noted that all three flight attendants could smell the fumes; as well as a few passengers). Also during the entire event; no fumes or other indications were evident in the cockpit. The aircraft's flight path was taking us toward our diversion airport; and at this point I informed the flight attendants that we would be landing and to secure the cabin for landing. I informed the passengers that we had an electrical problem which through an 'abundance of caution' required us to land in order for us to address it. We notified ATC and requested a clearance to [a divert airport]. They cleared us direct and gave us an initial descent to 17;000 FT. The First Officer ran the QRH for Smoke/Fire/Fumes on the aircraft and then the Smoke Removal Checklist. Those checklists were completed as we approached 10;000 FT; allowing both of us to focus on the task of landing at an unfamiliar airport near mountainous terrain. During the descent; Dispatch was notified via ACARS of our situation and intentions and the landing was uneventful. The time from top of descent to landing was approximately 12 minutes. We turned off the runway and were met by the airport fire/rescue trucks; and they immediately scanned the aircraft with and reported to us that there were no unusual hot spots or visible smoke. I informed the passengers and crew to remain seated as we would be taxiing to a parking spot on the airport. After shutdown; the fire crews did a more detailed inspection of the forward interior and could find anything unusual; and the passengers were taken by bus to the terminal. The 'A' Flight Attendant agreed to be my point of contact with that group; and Dispatch and Maintenance Control were contacted by phone to begin the process of accommodating our passengers and seeing to the maintenance needs of the aircraft.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 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.