Narrative:

We were getting ready to board the kickoff flight and someone asked for the captain to come look at a bag with an issue. Shortly after he went down the air stairs; the forward cargo fire warning sounded. I silenced the bell; but did not discharge the bottle as the cargo door was open and I knew they were loading. The captain came up the stairs and ordered everyone off the plane immediately. He told us a bag had caught fire and ground personnel had used extinguishing agent on it.about 15 minutes later; the first fire truck arrived. In looking for guidance on how to proceed; we referred to the accident; flight crew responsibilities checklist in the fom. The captain was able to make phone contact with dispatch; but did not have success getting in touch with other contacts. He also efficiently dealt with a host of issues coordinating the multiple groups involved as well as keeping the passengers informed of the situation. Shortly thereafter; the fire chief showed us a charred battery as the suspected culprit from the bag in question. I then tried to assist the captain as best as I could with any information he might need. We were all very thankful the event happened on the ground.cause: some passengers had an undeclared e-cigarette with charger and batteries in their luggage that shorted and started a fire.suggestions: I believe the public still does not grasp the danger of batteries or other items as e-cigarettes in cargo. At check in; have more visuals similar to the 3-1-1 tsa uses for liquids in carry-ons. Also; maybe have a dedicated hotline that has priority over all others for immediate positive contact in the event of an incident or accident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-800 flight crew reported ground personnel notified Captain of a passenger's bag that ignited; because of undeclared Hazmat in a suitcase.

Narrative: We were getting ready to board the kickoff flight and someone asked for the Captain to come look at a bag with an issue. Shortly after he went down the air stairs; the forward cargo fire warning sounded. I silenced the bell; but did not discharge the bottle as the cargo door was open and I knew they were loading. The Captain came up the stairs and ordered everyone off the plane immediately. He told us a bag had caught fire and ground personnel had used extinguishing agent on it.About 15 minutes later; the first fire truck arrived. In looking for guidance on how to proceed; we referred to the Accident; flight crew responsibilities checklist in the FOM. The Captain was able to make phone contact with Dispatch; but did not have success getting in touch with other contacts. He also efficiently dealt with a host of issues coordinating the multiple groups involved as well as keeping the passengers informed of the situation. Shortly thereafter; the fire chief showed us a charred battery as the suspected culprit from the bag in question. I then tried to assist the Captain as best as I could with any information he might need. We were all very thankful the event happened on the ground.Cause: Some passengers had an undeclared e-cigarette with charger and batteries in their luggage that shorted and started a fire.Suggestions: I believe the public still does not grasp the danger of batteries or other items as e-cigarettes in cargo. At check in; have more visuals similar to the 3-1-1 TSA uses for liquids in carry-ons. Also; maybe have a dedicated hotline that has priority over all others for immediate positive contact in the event of an incident or accident.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.