MD80S ACFT WITH P&W JT8D-217C ENGS HAD CATASTROPHIC INTERNAL TURBINE FAILURE ON THE L ENG SHORTLY AFTER TKOF. FLC DECLARED EMER; RETURNED; LANDED; AND STOPPED FOR FIRE DEPT TO CHK. SOME FLAMES COMING FROM ENG SO FLC PULLED FIRE HANDLE AND INITIATED EVAC. EVAC DISCONTINUED AFTER ONE THIRD PAX HAD LEFT ACFT.

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NO ABNORMALITIES WERE OBSERVED DURING THE PREFLT WALKAROUND INSPECTION. DEPARTING TUS; MAX PWR WAS SELECTED AS WE TAXIED ONTO RWY 29; AS THE WINDSOCK SHOWED A SLIGHT L QUARTERING TAILWIND. DURING CLBOUT AT APPROX 1500 FT AGL; RECEIVED A RA COMMANDING 'MONITOR VERT SPD;' REQUIRING A CLB OF NOT LESS THAN APPROX 1600 FPM. APPROX 5-10 SECONDS AFTER THE INITIAL RA; A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD AND THE L ENG BEGAN SPOOLING DOWN TO IDLE WITH L THRUST REVERSER UNLOCK LIGHT ILLUMINATED. CAPT TOOK OVER FLYING THE ACFT; AND I DECLARED AN EMER WITH TUS TWR AND RAN THE CHKLISTS. THE LNDG WAS SMOOTH AND UNEVENTFUL AT A GROSS WT OF 128500 LBS. UPON STOPPING ON THE RWY; TWR INFORMED US OF FLAMES COMING FROM THE L ENG. L ENG FIRE HANDLE WAS PULLED AND AGENT DISCHARGED. ACFT EVAC WAS INITIATED. TWR ADVISED RA COULD HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY LIGHT ACFT THAT HAD DEPARTED RWY 29L. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR FO CONFIRMED ENG MODEL AS P&W JT8D-217C. THE ONLY INFO RPTR HAS ON THE ENG FAILURE RESULTS WAS INNER COMPANY PUB WHICH LISTED THE FAILURE AS AN INTERNAL TURBINE FAILURE. RIGHT AFTER TKOF; THE RPTR FO FLYING; THEY RECEIVED A TCASII RA TO MONITOR VERT SPD WHICH REQUIRED SHALLOWING THE CLB. THEN; WITHIN SECONDS; THEY HEARD THE LOUD BANG AND BECAUSE OF THE TCASII RA AND UNABLE TO SEE THE INTRUDER TFC; THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD HIT THE OTHER ACFT. WHEN THE ENG SPOOLED DOWN THEY DECLARED AN EMER; RAN THE CHKLISTS AND RETURNED TO LAND; STILL THINKING THEY MAY HAVE OTHER ACFT DAMAGE FROM A MIDAIR ENCOUNTER. AFTER LNDG WHEN THE TWR NOTIFIED THEM THAT THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENG; THEY PULLED THE FIRE HANDLE AND INITIATED AN EVAC. THE EVAC WAS STOPPED SHORTLY BECAUSE THE FIRE CREW TOLD THEM THE ENG WAS NOT ON FIRE. THE INTRUDER ACFT WHICH PROBABLY CAUSED THE TCASII RA WAS A CESSNA WHICH HAD JUST TAKEN OFF FROM A PARALLEL RWY.