A B757-200 IN CRUISE AT FL330 DECLARED AN EMER AND DIVERTED DUE TO STRONG ELECTRICAL SMELL. ON GATE TECHNICIAN REMOVED BURNING STANDBY INVERTER.

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DURING CRUISE AT FL330; WE WERE NOTIFIED OF A BURNING SMELL IN THE CABIN BY THE FA; CAPT DIRECTED AN INSPECTION OF CABIN/GALLIES FOR EVIDENCE OF FIRE. ONLY STRONG ELECTRICAL SMELL WAS NOTED. WE RAN THE 'SMOKE OR FUMES OR FIRE ELECTRICAL' CHKLIST AND GOT A PHONE PATCH WITH COMPANY MAINT. FA STATED THAT SEVERAL PAX WERE FEELING ILL. WE DECLARED AN EMER WITH CENTER AND INITIATED A DSCNT TO ZZZ. ATC WAS VERY COOPERATIVE IN CLEARING TFC AND MADE MINIMAL RADIO REQUESTS TO THE CREW. WX WAS IFR AND AN ILS 1L WAS ACCOMPLISHED. LNDG WAS NORMAL AND ACFT CLRED THE RWY. AFTER THE FIRE DEPT INSPECTED THE EXTERIOR; WE TAXIED TO THE GATE. AFTER ALL; BUT 20 PAX DEPLANED. HEAVY SMOKE BILLOWED FROM BELOW THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. REMAINING PAX WERE HASTENED OFF. IN THE MEANTIME; MAINT PERSONNEL OPENED THE E AND E COMPARTMENT AND OBSERVED FLAMES COMING FROM THE STANDBY INVERTER. THE MECHANIC IMMEDIATELY UNPLUGGED THE UNIT AND THREW IT ON THE RAMP SAVING THE ACFT FROM FURTHER DAMAGE. APPROX A DOZEN PASSENGERS AND ALL 4 FLT ATTENDANTS WERE TREATED FOR SMOKE INHALATION IN THE TERMINAL. TIMELY RECOGNITION OF TROUBLE AND AN EMER DSCNT BY THE CREW; ALONG WITH THE COOPERATION OF ATC. GOT THE ACFT ON THE GND PRIOR TO AN UNCONTROLLABLE FIRE. ALERT ACTIONS BY MAINT PERSONNEL SAVED THE ACFT FROM SERIOUS DAMAGE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ONLY WARNING FROM THE EICAS SYSTEM WAS A STATUS MSG WHICH REQUIRED NO ACTION. THE RPTR SAID THE FUMES OR STRONG ELECTRICAL SMELL WAS MOST INTENSE IN THE FORWARD CABIN AND WHEN PARKING ON THE GATE HEAVY SMOKE ROLLED OUT FROM UNDER THE INSTRUMENT PANELS. THE RPTR STATED THAT TWO CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE FOUND TRIPPED AND BELIEVES THEY WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE STANDBY INVERTER CIRCUIT. THE RPTR SAID AN UNOFFICIAL RPT FROM MAINT A WEEK AFTER THE INCIDENT INDICATED CHECKS WERE BEING MADE OF PART NUMBER AND SERIAL NUMBERS OF THE STANDBY INVERTERS IN THE FLEET.