Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Communication Breakdown
Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Smoke / Fire / Fumes / Odor; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
Aircraft Aircraft Damaged; General Evacuated; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Equipment / Tooling
I was walking down the first class aisle towards door 2L to do my walk around; when a flight attendant asked me to come back to aft cabin because she smelled smoke. I took a few steps to the aft and started to smell smoke; at the same time an agent ran down the jet bridge and yelled fire exit the aircraft. I ran further to the back and yelled loudly to the flight attendants in the aft to exit because of fire. We all ran out of the aircraft to the top of the jet bridge we could see smoke at the rear of the aircraft and fire trucks spraying water. I went down on the jet bridge stairs to assess the situation outside. I first saw charred clothing and electrical cords laying all over the ramp underneath the jet. I walked further aft and saw the trucks still spraying water on the smoldering pallet of cargo. There was also a ramper on the ground being treated by EMTs. I have video of the fire actually burning and several pictures of the cargo pallet and scattered debris. It appeared to me that the fire started on the pallet not the loader. I feel we dodged a bullet that the fire started on the ground and not after takeoff. We would have lost an airplane had it burned like in flight. Hopefully someone views the ramp/gate surveillance tapes and determines where the fire actually started from. I was very disappointed in the company and with the lack of communication with our crew on this event. It has been nearly 72 hours since this event occurred and I have yet to hear from anyone from the company. Really sad! The flight attendants were met by a flight service rep upon arrival back at ZZZ1.
[Report narrative contained no additional information.]
Flight crew of a large turbojet aircraft reported a ramp fire occurred before departure on a cargo pallet before it was loaded into the cargo hold.