AN ACR DC9-10 FLC HAS A FAILURE OF THE ACFT XTIE LOCK-OUT RELAY WITH A SHORT AND AN ELECTRICAL FIRE.

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WE HAD A NORMAL TKOF AND CLB OUT OF MSP. WE LEVELED AT FL310 DUE TO TURB AT THE HIGHER ALTS. AS WE APCHED FORT DODGE; WE SAW THE INST LIGHTS FLICKER TWICE FOLLOWED BY A LOUD 'POP.' THE FO IMMEDIATELY NOTICED FLAMES COMING FROM THE JUMP SEAT AREA JUST ABOVE THE LOCKING DEVICE. SMOKE AND FUMES FILLED THE COCKPIT WITHIN SECONDS. WE PUT ON OUR OXYGEN MASKS AND TURNED OFF BOTH GENERATORS AND BATTERY SWITCH. WE DID NOT PUT THE EMER PWR ON FOR FEAR THAT THE FIRE MAY BE LINKED TO THAT CIRCUIT. WE DECIDED TO FLY WITH A DARK COCKPIT AND NO RADIOS UNTIL WE WERE SURE THAT THE FIRE WAS OUT. AFTER TURNING THE GENERATORS AND BATTERY OFF; THE FLAMES WENT OUT AND THE SMOKE DID NOT GET ANY WORSE. FOR 1 MIN WE FLEW USING A FLASHLIGHT HELD IN MY R-HAND WHILE FLYING WITH MY L. WHEN 1 MIN WAS OVER; WE TURNED THE EMER PWR SWITCH ON; USED INST FLOOD LIGHTING AND USED COM #1 TO DECLARE AN EMER. THE FO WORKED THE 'COCKPIT SMOKE' CHKLIST WHILE I WAS BEING VECTORED TO THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT; DSM. THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CAME UP AT FL250 AND BTWN THE FO AND I WE EXPLAINED THE SIT. WE WERE TOO BUSY TO GO INTO GREAT DETAIL AT THAT TIME. WE WOULD GIVE HER AN ETA AND EVAC INSTRUCTIONS LATER. THE FO FINISHED THE CHKLIST AND HELPED ME WITH ATC AND THE APCH DETAILS; WX; ETC. AT 11000 FT WE CALLED THE LEAD CABIN ATTENDANT TO GIVE HER A MORE THOROUGH BRIEFING. WE TOLD HER 10 MINS; DSM; RWY EVAC; PREPARE THE CABIN. SHE TOLD US THE SMOKE WAS LIMITED TO THE COCKPIT AND FIRST CLASS GALLEY WITH ONLY MINOR SMOKE IN THE MAIN CABIN. ATC CONTINUED VECTORS TO AN ILS RWY 13L IN DSM. WE HAD TO CIRCLE ONCE DUE TO BEING HIGH AND TOO CLOSE TO THE ARPT. WE CIRCLED JUST OUTSIDE THE FAF AND CONTINUED THE APCH. THE FO DID A GREAT JOB OF KEEPING ME UP TO DATE ON WHAT HE WAS DOING AND HELPING ME STAY ORGANIZED. AT 3000 FT; WE CALLED THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT; TOLD HER NOT TO EVAC UNLESS SHE HEARS FROM US. MOST OF THE SMOKE WAS GONE BY NOW; BUT THE SMELL OF BURNING PLASTIC REMAINED. WE MADE A NORMAL ILS WITH ARPT SURVEILLANCE RADAR (ASR) ASSISTANCE FROM ATC. ONCE ON THE GND; WE EVALUATED THE SIT AND DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NO NEED TO RISK A SLIDE EVAC. WE COORDINATED WITH GND AND CRASH; FIRE AND RESCUE (CFR) WHO FOLLOWED US TO THE GATE; SHUT OFF BOTH ENGS; AND MADE SURE EXTERNAL PWR WAS NOT PLUGGED IN. AT THE GATE; THE EPC WAS STILL WARM. WE MADE A NORMAL EGRESS OF THE AIRPLANE AT THE JETWAY. THANKS TO THE FO AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS; WE HAD A SAFE OUTCOME. NO INJURIES. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS DC9-10 FO SAID THAT THE ATTACHED NARRATIVE WAS WRITTEN UP BY THE CAPT; BUT THAT IT WAS AS HE REMEMBERED THE EVENT. THE FIRE STARTED WHEN THE ACFT ELECTRICAL XTIE LOCK-OUT RELAY FAILED AND SHORTED OUT. THIS ALLOWED THE FULL MAIN PWR SYS TO SHORT WITH THE RESULTANT FIRE AND SMOKE. HE SAID THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THE CAPT AND THE CABIN ATTENDANTS DID A GREAT JOB DURING THIS EMER.