A319
Flight Attendant Airline Total 23; Flight Attendant Number Of Acft Qualified On 5; Flight Attendant Total 25; Flight Attendant Type 80
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; Flight Crew Diverted
Aircraft
After departure; we had begun service when a passenger at approximately row 16 screamed. B Flight Attendant (FA) went aft. I looked back and saw smoke so I parked the cart in the First Class galley and obtained a halon fire extinguisher; asking the A FA to get the Protective Breathing Equipment (PBE). After donning the PBE; I went to the smoky area and began to search for the source of the smoke. The passengers from the three most affected rows were coughing and had gone to the back galley. B FA was passing out wet towels. Not finding anything obvious I got down on my hands and knees and looked at the floor. Not finding anything; I sprayed the smokiest row with the fire extinguisher with the halon and the smoke seemed to dissipate. I then went forward and told the A that there was no obvious source and the floor was not hot. I then returned aft and continued to monitor for fire. The pilots dropped the 02 masks due to the fact that the smoke was causing coughing and burned when it was breathed.Eventually the pilots called and said that the source of the fire was hydraulic fluid and that we were diverting to [a nearby alternate]. B FA got the passengers back into their seats and brought the cart from First Class. I went forward; removed and stowed the PBE. A FA stowed the halon. We donned our 02 masks and strapped in. We had a normal landing and deplaning.
A319 Flight Attendant reported their flight diverted to an alternate after a mechanical issue caused smoke in the cabin.