Narrative:

In preparation for flight XXX, ZZZ-ZZZ1, ramp person loading aft bin noticed smoke coming from luggage on baggage cart. The baggage loader removed the three bags already loaded in the aft bin and tugged the smoking baggage cart away from the aircraft into the adjacent unoccupied safety area (gate XXX). There, company ramp personnel removed bags from the cart and doused the flames with hand held dry chemical extinguishers until fire department arrival. Fire department finished extinguishing the fire with water. About 5 to 7 bags showed signs of fire damage. All bags from cart contaminated with dry chemical extinguishing agent. Bag that was the source of the fire was a medium size rollaway bag with loose tools and an electric battery powered screwdriver/drill. (Per ZZZ fire department.) either the tool was running continuously in the bag or the battery was loose and shorted out to the tools surrounding it and ignited. Company dispatch was notified. Some passenger who could not be without their bags exited aircraft. Passenger whose bag caused the fire was identified and removed without incident. Departure ZZZ to ZZZ1 operations normal. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated the baggage cart with passenger bags came directly from the tsa x-ray facility to the airplane aft cargo compartment. The reporter said four bags were loaded into the compartment when the ramp service person noted smoke coming from the three bags remaining on the cart. The reporter stated the ramp person immediately moved the cart to a safe area away from the airplane and alarmed lead person, supervisor and station operations and a chemical fire extinguisher was applied to the three bags on the cart. The reporter said the fire department arrival and immediately used water fire extinguishers on the one bag that was burning with visible flames. The reporter stated the fire department opened the bag and discovered small hand tools and a battery powered hand drill, the primary cause of the fire. The reporter said the fire department had two theories on the battery. The drill had been running continuously and overheated the battery, or, the battery slipped out of the drill handle compartment and shorted out on the hand tools. The reporter stated the bag containing the drill had the bottom half burned and the remaining six bags incurred heat damage. Second callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter indicated that he had no additional information regarding any specific and/or detailed cause of the subject fire. He/she said the fire caused damage to seven bags on the cart before was isolated. The subject drill was identified as having a long round type nicad battery. The reporter suggested that devises and batteries be separated before transport and only allowed in original cases with the separate compartments for both the devise and battery. The reporter requested that tsa be informed regarding this incident because of the potential weapon possibilities. He suggests that because no restrictions are currently in place, terrorist could use these types of devices as weapons.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B717-200 PARKED ON GATE DURING BAGGAGE LOADING IN AFT PIT. A RAMP SVC PERSON NOTED SMOKE COMING FROM THREE BAGS REMAINING ON THE BAGGAGE CART.

Narrative: IN PREPARATION FOR FLT XXX, ZZZ-ZZZ1, RAMP PERSON LOADING AFT BIN NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM LUGGAGE ON BAGGAGE CART. THE BAGGAGE LOADER REMOVED THE THREE BAGS ALREADY LOADED IN THE AFT BIN AND TUGGED THE SMOKING BAGGAGE CART AWAY FROM THE ACFT INTO THE ADJACENT UNOCCUPIED SAFETY AREA (GATE XXX). THERE, COMPANY RAMP PERSONNEL REMOVED BAGS FROM THE CART AND DOUSED THE FLAMES WITH HAND HELD DRY CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHERS UNTIL FIRE DEPT ARR. FIRE DEPT FINISHED EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE WITH WATER. ABOUT 5 TO 7 BAGS SHOWED SIGNS OF FIRE DAMAGE. ALL BAGS FROM CART CONTAMINATED WITH DRY CHEMICAL EXTINGUISHING AGENT. BAG THAT WAS THE SOURCE OF THE FIRE WAS A MEDIUM SIZE ROLLAWAY BAG WITH LOOSE TOOLS AND AN ELECTRIC BATTERY POWERED SCREWDRIVER/DRILL. (PER ZZZ FIRE DEPT.) EITHER THE TOOL WAS RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY IN THE BAG OR THE BATTERY WAS LOOSE AND SHORTED OUT TO THE TOOLS SURROUNDING IT AND IGNITED. COMPANY DISPATCH WAS NOTIFIED. SOME PAX WHO COULD NOT BE WITHOUT THEIR BAGS EXITED ACFT. PAX WHOSE BAG CAUSED THE FIRE WAS IDENTIFIED AND REMOVED WITHOUT INCIDENT. DEP ZZZ TO ZZZ1 OPS NORMAL. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE BAGGAGE CART WITH PAX BAGS CAME DIRECTLY FROM THE TSA X-RAY FACILITY TO THE AIRPLANE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. THE RPTR SAID FOUR BAGS WERE LOADED INTO THE COMPARTMENT WHEN THE RAMP SERVICE PERSON NOTED SMOKE COMING FROM THE THREE BAGS REMAINING ON THE CART. THE RPTR STATED THE RAMP PERSON IMMEDIATELY MOVED THE CART TO A SAFE AREA AWAY FROM THE AIRPLANE AND ALARMED LEAD PERSON, SUPVR AND STATION OPS AND A CHEMICAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER WAS APPLIED TO THE THREE BAGS ON THE CART. THE RPTR SAID THE FIRE DEPT ARR AND IMMEDIATELY USED WATER FIRE EXTINGUISHERS ON THE ONE BAG THAT WAS BURNING WITH VISIBLE FLAMES. THE RPTR STATED THE FIRE DEPT OPENED THE BAG AND DISCOVERED SMALL HAND TOOLS AND A BATTERY POWERED HAND DRILL, THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE RPTR SAID THE FIRE DEPT HAD TWO THEORIES ON THE BATTERY. THE DRILL HAD BEEN RUNNING CONTINUOUSLY AND OVERHEATED THE BATTERY, OR, THE BATTERY SLIPPED OUT OF THE DRILL HANDLE COMPARTMENT AND SHORTED OUT ON THE HAND TOOLS. THE RPTR STATED THE BAG CONTAINING THE DRILL HAD THE BOTTOM HALF BURNED AND THE REMAINING SIX BAGS INCURRED HEAT DAMAGE. SECOND CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR INDICATED THAT HE HAD NO ADDITIONAL INFO REGARDING ANY SPECIFIC AND/OR DETAILED CAUSE OF THE SUBJECT FIRE. HE/SHE SAID THE FIRE CAUSED DAMAGE TO SEVEN BAGS ON THE CART BEFORE WAS ISOLATED. THE SUBJECT DRILL WAS IDENTIFIED AS HAVING A LONG ROUND TYPE NICAD BATTERY. THE RPTR SUGGESTED THAT DEVISES AND BATTERIES BE SEPARATED BEFORE TRANSPORT AND ONLY ALLOWED IN ORIGINAL CASES WITH THE SEPARATE COMPARTMENTS FOR BOTH THE DEVISE AND BATTERY. THE RPTR REQUESTED THAT TSA BE INFORMED REGARDING THIS INCIDENT BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL WEAPON POSSIBILITIES. HE SUGGESTS THAT BECAUSE NO RESTRICTIONS ARE CURRENTLY IN PLACE, TERRORIST COULD USE THESE TYPES OF DEVICES AS WEAPONS.

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.