Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 150; Flight Crew Total 3300; Flight Crew Type 200
Distraction; Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor
Flight Crew Returned To Departure Airport; Flight Crew Inflight Shutdown; General Declared Emergency; General Evacuated
Aircraft
We had an engine failure/fire during our climbout. The Captain used emergency authority and immediately turned back to the field while talking to ATC. I ran checklists while trying to get the fire out; and became hypoxic. We donned our oxygen masks and had difficulty communicating after this. I could not hear the Captain and he couldn't hear me. We landed single engine with the fire light still illuminated despite using both of our fire extinguishing bottles. We came to a stop on the runway and did an expeditious normal deplaning on the runway. No one was injured.Possible contributing factors included the following. Before takeoff and during taxi I remember talking about a non-pertinent gate location at another airport that probably broke the sterile cockpit rule. Also prior to takeoff our standby attitude indicator flashed with a maintenance page and it normally doesn't do that. With VFR conditions and the standby attitude indicator still showing a correct picture we decided to continue the flight.Communication became very difficult after we donned our oxygen masks and made everything more challenging.
An engine fire during initial climb caused the flight crew of a Q400 to discharge both fire retardant bottles; shut down the engine; declare an emergency and return for a landing and evacuation on the runway.