Narrative:

I was working position #2. I was in the back galley closing things up, when the agent came on the PA system and announced we would be evacing the aircraft using the jetbridge. I am not sure how many people we had on at that time, but we were almost completely full at that point. We made sure everyone got off the aircraft safely. We had 3 wheelchairs and 3 unaccompanied minors. I was not aware of the fire, until I was deplaning the aircraft and was advised by the agent what the problem was. I might be overreacting, but if the problem was the jetbridge, why did we send all those people back up it? Would it not have been better to use the aft stairs? I am grateful that no one was injured and everyone is safe. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that the captain wasn't on the airplane at the time, that the gate agent announced that the plane was to be evacuate/evacuationed through the front door. She isn't sure if the first officer was on board. The agents completely left the whole crew in the dark about the nature of the need to evacuate/evacuation. The passenger all turned to the flight attendants for more information and guidance, but the flight attendants knew as much as the passenger did. When the reporter got towards the front of the plane, she saw and smelled smoke, but it was more evident out on the jetbridge. She then learned that the jetbridge had an electrical fire, which meant that it couldn't be moved from the airplane. Fire trucks were under the jetbridge, with the firemen trying to figure out how to move the jetbridge from the aircraft. Firemen eventually chained the jetbridge to a fire truck and pulled it away from the aircraft. She questions the use of the jetbridge, because the stairs were already down and being used by other ground personnel.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CABIN ATTENDANT, S80, MFE-DFW, ON BOARDING, ELECTRICAL FIRE ON JETBRIDGE ATTACHED TO PLANE. GATE AGENTS DECIDED TO EVAC USING THE JETBRIDGE.

Narrative: I WAS WORKING POS #2. I WAS IN THE BACK GALLEY CLOSING THINGS UP, WHEN THE AGENT CAME ON THE PA SYS AND ANNOUNCED WE WOULD BE EVACING THE ACFT USING THE JETBRIDGE. I AM NOT SURE HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAD ON AT THAT TIME, BUT WE WERE ALMOST COMPLETELY FULL AT THAT POINT. WE MADE SURE EVERYONE GOT OFF THE ACFT SAFELY. WE HAD 3 WHEELCHAIRS AND 3 UNACCOMPANIED MINORS. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FIRE, UNTIL I WAS DEPLANING THE ACFT AND WAS ADVISED BY THE AGENT WHAT THE PROB WAS. I MIGHT BE OVERREACTING, BUT IF THE PROB WAS THE JETBRIDGE, WHY DID WE SEND ALL THOSE PEOPLE BACK UP IT? WOULD IT NOT HAVE BEEN BETTER TO USE THE AFT STAIRS? I AM GRATEFUL THAT NO ONE WAS INJURED AND EVERYONE IS SAFE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE CAPT WASN'T ON THE AIRPLANE AT THE TIME, THAT THE GATE AGENT ANNOUNCED THAT THE PLANE WAS TO BE EVACED THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR. SHE ISN'T SURE IF THE FO WAS ON BOARD. THE AGENTS COMPLETELY LEFT THE WHOLE CREW IN THE DARK ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE NEED TO EVAC. THE PAX ALL TURNED TO THE FLT ATTENDANTS FOR MORE INFO AND GUIDANCE, BUT THE FLT ATTENDANTS KNEW AS MUCH AS THE PAX DID. WHEN THE RPTR GOT TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE PLANE, SHE SAW AND SMELLED SMOKE, BUT IT WAS MORE EVIDENT OUT ON THE JETBRIDGE. SHE THEN LEARNED THAT THE JETBRIDGE HAD AN ELECTRICAL FIRE, WHICH MEANT THAT IT COULDN'T BE MOVED FROM THE AIRPLANE. FIRE TRUCKS WERE UNDER THE JETBRIDGE, WITH THE FIREMEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MOVE THE JETBRIDGE FROM THE ACFT. FIREMEN EVENTUALLY CHAINED THE JETBRIDGE TO A FIRE TRUCK AND PULLED IT AWAY FROM THE ACFT. SHE QUESTIONS THE USE OF THE JETBRIDGE, BECAUSE THE STAIRS WERE ALREADY DOWN AND BEING USED BY OTHER GND PERSONNEL.

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.