FLT ATTENDANTS RPT FUMES FROM AN UNKNOWN SOURCE IN MID AND AFT CABIN. THE ACFT IS RETURNED FOR MAINT.

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CLBING THROUGH 4000 FT FLT ATTENDANT ADVISED CAPT OF STRONG BURNING SMELL IN MID AND AFT CABIN. WHILE ODOR SEEMED TO BE DISSIPATING; BOTH MID AND AFT FLT ATTENDANTS FEARED THE POSSIBILITY OF A FIRE/SMOKE SIT WITH NO OBVIOUS SOURCE. I RETURNED TO MCI (ORIGIN) FOR PRECAUTIONARY LNDG. DECLARED EMER AND REQUESTED EQUIP. TKOF WAS FROM RWY 09; A L 270 DEG TURN AND DSCNT PUT US RIGHT ON RWY 19L FOR UNEVENTFUL LNDG. THE BURNING ODOR WAS ESSENTIALLY GONE BY THE TIME WE LANDED. 6 MINS FLYING TIME TOTAL. NO SMOKE WAS EVER SEEN; AND SOURCE OF FUMES COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. DECISION TO RETURN WAS IMMEDIATE. FO FLEW ACFT AND COORDINATED ARR WHILE I REMAINED ON INTERPHONE WITH 1 FLT ATTENDANT WHILE THE OTHER SEARCHED FOR SOURCE OF FUMES. THE POSSIBILITY OF ACFT EVAC WAS BRIEFLY CONSIDERED; BUT ODDS APPEARED LOW SINCE FUMES HAD BEEN STEADILY DECREASING AND NO SOURCE OF SMOKE/FIRE/HEAT ETC COULD BE DETERMINED. NO SMOKE IDENT/REMOVAL CHKLIST WAS INITIATED SINCE WE WERE ONLY 2 OR 3 MINS FROM LNDG WHEN FUMES WERE RPTED -- THERE SIMPLY WASN'T TIME FOR SUCH AN INVOLVED PROC. APCH LNDG CHKLISTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED; AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A BRIEF PA TO REASSURE PAX; WHO WERE ESSENTIALLY UNWORRIED (SMELL WAS CONFINED TO MID AND AFT CABIN; WITH NO SECONDARY INDICATIONS SUCH AS SMOKE; SOUNDS; ETC TO CAUSE ANXIETY). CREW TEAMWORK WAS EXCELLENT -- ALL CREW MEMBERS PERFORMED WITH THE HIGHEST PROFESSIONALISM. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED HE WAS FLYING AN MD88. THEIR FLT WAS THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY AFTER MAINT HAD DONE THEIR NORMAL OVERNIGHT SVC. THIS COULD INCLUDE SVC WITH FLUIDS OF THE ENGS; HYDS; AND AIR CYCLE MACHINE. SOMETIMES SPILLAGE OF OILS OR HYDS CAN FIND ITS WAY INTO THE AIR CONDITIONING DUCTING AND CAUSE FUMES. IMMEDIATELY ON LNDG THE MAINT CHKED THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENTS BUT NOTHING WAS FOUND UNUSUAL. THE WX WAS CHARACTERIZED AS STORMY AND HAD BEEN STORMY ALL NIGHT. THE CREW AND PAX WERE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER ACFT AND DEPARTED BEFORE DETERMINATION WAS MADE AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FUMES.