Narrative:

We departed and during the climb; shortly after the first flap retraction; we heard a light pop followed by a slight vibration; the master caution light; and the number two fire warning horn and light. The first officer was the pilot flying and I was the pilot not flying. We both confirmed the number two engine fire and I performed the engine fire/severe damage memory items at which time we declared an emergency and received vectors to a nearby city. After pulling the number two engine fire handle; the fire light extinguished. During vectors we completed the QRH checklist items; including the single engine landing checklist; advised the flight attendants of the engine fire and shutdown; and told them we would be landing at nearby airport and to prepare the cabin for landing. I also let them know the fire light was out; we would not be evacuating at this time; and we had approximately one or two minutes before landing. I made an announcement to the passengers stating we had indications of an engine fire; we shut the engine down; the fire was extinguished; and we would be diverting. While I was doing the checklist and communicating with the flight attendants and passengers; the first officer was descending and turning a visual approach for our diversion airport. After stabilized and configured for landing; we transferred control and I landed the aircraft. Upon landing we brought the aircraft to a stop on the high-speed taxiway clear of the runway; told the passengers and flight attendants to remain seated; and communicated with ground control and fire/rescue to inspect the aircraft for smoke or fire. We made an announcement to the passengers and let them know once cleared by fire/rescue we would continue to the gate. Fire/rescue confirmed there was no fire and smoke and we continued to the gate. At the gate; we spoke with the flight attendants to make sure they were fine; spoke with maintenance about the engine fire. I spoke with dispatch; maintenance control; and the chief pilot at which point the aircraft was taken out of service and we were pulled from the remainder of our pairing along with the flight attendants. I cannot say enough about the professionalism of our crew. The flight attendants were calm and collected through the entire event and never wavered in their professionalism. The first officer flew the aircraft as if he had been in this situation a million times showing incredible airmanship. I believe the good outcome of this situation was based on good crew communication and training. I do believe the procedure of having the captain land instead of the pilot flying land is outdated. We were only in the air eight minutes total and only five minutes after the first indication of a fire. My pilot monitoring duties were many and the first officer was doing an excellent job of flying. Our procedure to switch control just so the captain can land when the first officer is doing a great job and I am in the communication mode is just another burden you don't need at a critical phase of flight.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-700's right engine fire warning horn and light illuminated at 1;000 FT after takeoff. An emergency was declared; the immediate action and QRH procedures completed and the aircraft diverted to a nearby airport for landing.

Narrative: We departed and during the climb; shortly after the first flap retraction; we heard a light pop followed by a slight vibration; the master caution light; and the number two fire warning horn and light. The First Officer was the pilot flying and I was the pilot not flying. We both confirmed the number two engine fire and I performed the engine fire/severe damage memory items at which time we declared an emergency and received vectors to a nearby city. After pulling the number two engine fire handle; the fire light extinguished. During vectors we completed the QRH checklist items; including the Single Engine Landing Checklist; advised the flight attendants of the engine fire and shutdown; and told them we would be landing at nearby airport and to prepare the cabin for landing. I also let them know the fire light was out; we would not be evacuating at this time; and we had approximately one or two minutes before landing. I made an announcement to the passengers stating we had indications of an engine fire; we shut the engine down; the fire was extinguished; and we would be diverting. While I was doing the checklist and communicating with the flight attendants and passengers; the First Officer was descending and turning a visual approach for our diversion airport. After stabilized and configured for landing; we transferred control and I landed the aircraft. Upon landing we brought the aircraft to a stop on the high-speed taxiway clear of the runway; told the passengers and flight attendants to remain seated; and communicated with Ground Control and Fire/Rescue to inspect the aircraft for smoke or fire. We made an announcement to the passengers and let them know once cleared by Fire/Rescue we would continue to the gate. Fire/Rescue confirmed there was no fire and smoke and we continued to the gate. At the gate; we spoke with the flight attendants to make sure they were fine; spoke with Maintenance about the engine fire. I spoke with Dispatch; Maintenance Control; and the Chief Pilot at which point the aircraft was taken out of service and we were pulled from the remainder of our pairing along with the flight attendants. I cannot say enough about the professionalism of our crew. The flight attendants were calm and collected through the entire event and never wavered in their professionalism. The First Officer flew the aircraft as if he had been in this situation a million times showing incredible airmanship. I believe the good outcome of this situation was based on good crew communication and training. I do believe the procedure of having the Captain land instead of the pilot flying land is outdated. We were only in the air eight minutes total and only five minutes after the first indication of a fire. My pilot monitoring duties were many and the First Officer was doing an excellent job of flying. Our procedure to switch control just so the Captain can land when the First Officer is doing a great job and I am in the communication mode is just another burden you don't need at a critical phase of flight.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.