Narrative:

Flight was about 3 hours late due to WX delays and mechanical problems with the aircraft packs. Passenger were boarded and the jetbridge was withdrawn from the aircraft. The de-ice crew informed us that we had a little rime ice on the tail that they wanted to spray. I configured the aircraft for de-icing by rolling the trim full forward, closing the APU bleed valve and closing the pack valves. When de-icing was complete and we were preparing to push, I reconfigured the aircraft for takeoff and because the cabin was now so cold, I put the right pack on high and turned the temperature up to help warm it up. Thick smoke started to come out of the de-fog vents, and the cockpit very rapidly began to fill. At the same time, shouts we heard from the cabin and I heard someone yell 'fire.' the purser called the cockpit with a series of rapid chimes, and I heard her yell to the passenger to evacuate/evacuation the aircraft. At that time I heard the evacuate/evacuation slide deploy and the purser yell her commands to the passenger to jump down the slide. The captain and I ran the evacuate/evacuation checklist from the qrc. When I went back to the cabin, all the passenger were out of the aircraft and the smoke had cleared. Only the slide at 1L was deployed and an overwing exit on the right side was open, although no passenger apparently went out that way. No crew members evacuate/evacuationed when it was determined that the aircraft was in no danger and the passenger were herded towards the terminal by the ground personnel. No injuries were reported as a result of the evacuate/evacuation. Supplemental information from acn 640727: the left temperature control was inoperative in automatic and manual. This meant no heat for the forward part of the cabin and cockpit. Maintenance then changed the wrong part, the right instead of the left. By the time the aircraft was fixed it was 3 hours later. The captain asked if they were all done and the ground person stated yes. The captain then ordered that the aircraft be reconfigured. The first officer performed the reconfiguring as the captain followed the de-ice checklist. When the first officer turned on the bleed switch the cockpit fogged over. At this time a passenger in the cabin yelled 'fire,' due to fog in the cabin. People jumped up and started for the exits. After the passenger yelled fire, the captain had to assume that was the case. Everyone evacuate/evacuationed the aircraft without injuries. Ramp crews were at the bottom of the slide to help people off and away.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-500 CREW HAD SMOKE ENTER THE CABIN AFTER TURNING UP THE CABIN TEMP. A PAX CALLED 'FIRE' AND BEGAN AN EVAC.

Narrative: FLT WAS ABOUT 3 HRS LATE DUE TO WX DELAYS AND MECHANICAL PROBS WITH THE ACFT PACKS. PAX WERE BOARDED AND THE JETBRIDGE WAS WITHDRAWN FROM THE ACFT. THE DE-ICE CREW INFORMED US THAT WE HAD A LITTLE RIME ICE ON THE TAIL THAT THEY WANTED TO SPRAY. I CONFIGURED THE ACFT FOR DE-ICING BY ROLLING THE TRIM FULL FORWARD, CLOSING THE APU BLEED VALVE AND CLOSING THE PACK VALVES. WHEN DE-ICING WAS COMPLETE AND WE WERE PREPARING TO PUSH, I RECONFIGURED THE ACFT FOR TKOF AND BECAUSE THE CABIN WAS NOW SO COLD, I PUT THE R PACK ON HIGH AND TURNED THE TEMP UP TO HELP WARM IT UP. THICK SMOKE STARTED TO COME OUT OF THE DE-FOG VENTS, AND THE COCKPIT VERY RAPIDLY BEGAN TO FILL. AT THE SAME TIME, SHOUTS WE HEARD FROM THE CABIN AND I HEARD SOMEONE YELL 'FIRE.' THE PURSER CALLED THE COCKPIT WITH A SERIES OF RAPID CHIMES, AND I HEARD HER YELL TO THE PAX TO EVAC THE ACFT. AT THAT TIME I HEARD THE EVAC SLIDE DEPLOY AND THE PURSER YELL HER COMMANDS TO THE PAX TO JUMP DOWN THE SLIDE. THE CAPT AND I RAN THE EVAC CHKLIST FROM THE QRC. WHEN I WENT BACK TO THE CABIN, ALL THE PAX WERE OUT OF THE ACFT AND THE SMOKE HAD CLRED. ONLY THE SLIDE AT 1L WAS DEPLOYED AND AN OVERWING EXIT ON THE R SIDE WAS OPEN, ALTHOUGH NO PAX APPARENTLY WENT OUT THAT WAY. NO CREW MEMBERS EVACED WHEN IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ACFT WAS IN NO DANGER AND THE PAX WERE HERDED TOWARDS THE TERMINAL BY THE GND PERSONNEL. NO INJURIES WERE RPTED AS A RESULT OF THE EVAC. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 640727: THE L TEMP CTL WAS INOP IN AUTO AND MANUAL. THIS MEANT NO HEAT FOR THE FORWARD PART OF THE CABIN AND COCKPIT. MAINT THEN CHANGED THE WRONG PART, THE R INSTEAD OF THE L. BY THE TIME THE ACFT WAS FIXED IT WAS 3 HRS LATER. THE CAPT ASKED IF THEY WERE ALL DONE AND THE GND PERSON STATED YES. THE CAPT THEN ORDERED THAT THE ACFT BE RECONFIGURED. THE FO PERFORMED THE RECONFIGURING AS THE CAPT FOLLOWED THE DE-ICE CHKLIST. WHEN THE FO TURNED ON THE BLEED SWITCH THE COCKPIT FOGGED OVER. AT THIS TIME A PAX IN THE CABIN YELLED 'FIRE,' DUE TO FOG IN THE CABIN. PEOPLE JUMPED UP AND STARTED FOR THE EXITS. AFTER THE PAX YELLED FIRE, THE CAPT HAD TO ASSUME THAT WAS THE CASE. EVERYONE EVACED THE ACFT WITHOUT INJURIES. RAMP CREWS WERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE TO HELP PEOPLE OFF AND AWAY.

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.