FIRE IN THE LAV OF A B757 ALLEGEDLY SET BY A PAX. THE AIR FRESHENER INSTALLED WAS IGNITED. FIRE SUCCESSFULLY FOUGHT BY CABIN CREW WITH DAMAGE ONLY TO THE WALLS AND CEILING.

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JUST AFTER THE BEVERAGE SVC IN MAIN CAB HAD BEEN COMPLETED. FA #3;4 PICKED UP WHILE I #2 CLEANED UP THE GALLEY. UPON RETURNING THEY BOTH MADE MENTION OF A PAX WHO HAD MADE SEXUAL PASSES AT THEM. WHILE WE WERE DISCUSSING IT THE CHIME SYS STARTED TO RING OUT AND I WENT TO THE LAV. THE MAN WE WERE JUST DISCUSSING WALKS OUT AND IS HEADING BACK TO HIS SEAT WHILE OUR LAV IS ON FIRE ORIGINATED FROM THE AIR FRESHENER MOUNTED ON THE WALL; RAN UP THE WALL AND ON TO THE CEILING COMPARTMENT; JUST INCHES FROM OUR OXYGEN MASK COMPARTMENT. I ASKED FA #3 FOR A GLASS OF WATER AND PUT OUT THE FLAMES. FA #3 CALLED THE COCKPIT TO RPT OUR FIRE AND DETAILS PERTAINING TO IT. I ASKED THE PAX IF HE HAD BEEN SMOKING IN THE LAV; HE SAID HOW COULD I; THEY TOOK MY LIGHTER IN DFW. AFTER A SEARCH OF HIS BELONGING POLICE FOUND 3 LIGHTERS IN HIS POSSESSION. HE WAS MET BY POLICE IN ZZZ UPON ARRIVAL. I GAVE MY STATEMENT TO BOTH POLICE AND FBI IN ZZZ. A FIELD TEST WAS PERFORMED ON THE AIR FRESHENER AND IT WAS FOUND TO ACT LIKE A WICK. LIGHTS QUICKLY BURNS SLOWLY AND EMITS VERY LITTLE SMOKE MUCH LIKE A CANDLE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 549178: BASICALLY WE HAD A STRANGE PAX THAT WAS ACTING ABNORMAL. HE WENT INTO THE LAV AND EITHER HAD A CIGARETTE AND LAID IT ON THE AIR FRESHENER OR LIT THE AIR FRESHENER ON PURPOSE. THE SMOKE ALARM WENT OFF AND FA #2 WAS THERE WHEN PAX OPENED UP THE LAV DOOR AND SAW FLAMES GOING UP TO THE CEILING TILES. PAX EVEN GOES TO HIS SEAT WITH LAV ON FIRE. FA #2 EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES WITH WATER. ACTIONS NEEDED 1) CAN'T HEAR SMOKE ALARM IN AFT LAV FROM THE FRONT OF THE PLANE. 2) AIR FRESHENERS SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF OR FLAME RESISTANT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: CALLBACK REVEALED THAT THE AIR FRESHENER IS ROUTINELY PLACED ON MANY ACR ACFT. THE BRAND IS UNKNOWN; BUT IT IS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A SILVER DOLLAR AND ABOUT 3/8 INCH THICK. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF A CIGARETTE HAVING BEEN USED IN THE LAV BUT IT WAS ADMITTED THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF IN THE TOILET. THE PAX INVOLVED WAS TRAVELING ALONE; APPEARED TO BE IN HIS LATE TWENTIES OR EARLIER THIRTIES. HE WAS DESCRIBED AS A 'LITTLE OFF' BY THE RPTR.