A B737-800 ON CLBOUT FROM IAH; TX; DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURN LAND DUE TO #2 ENG HAVING 2 LOUD COMPRESSOR STALLS AND FLUCTUATING N1 INDICATIONS. VISIBLE FIRE WAS RPTED BY FLT ATTENDANTS.

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ON CLBOUT AT APPROX 900 FT MSL; BOTH PLTS HEARD A LOUD BANG; FOLLOWED BY A SECOND LOUD BANG AND ACFT SHUDDER WITH FLUCTUATING N1 INDICATIONS ON #2 ENG. DECLARED AN EMER AND VECTORED TO DOWNWIND AFTER REQUEST FOR RWY 15L. CAPT FLYING ACFT; FO MONITORING AND COMMUNICATING WITH TWR AND FLT ATTENDANTS. CAPT REDUCED THRUST AND ENG SEEMED TO STABILIZE. ON DOWNWIND; LEAD FLT ATTENDANT CALLED AND INFORMED US THAT THERE WAS FIRE COMING OUT OF THE #1 ENG; ALTHOUGH WE HAD NO FIRE INDICATIONS. AT THE SAME TIME; TWR INFORMED US THAT DEBRIS HAD BEEN SEEN COMING FROM THE #2 ENG. SECONDS LATER; ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT TOLD US THAT THE FLAMES HAD BEEN SEEN COMING FROM THE R ENG AND NOT THE L AS PREVIOUSLY RPTED. INFORMED FLT ATTENDANTS TO PERFORM CABIN EMER PREPARATION PROCS ON DIRECTION FROM CAPT; AND INFORMED THEM THEY HAD APPROX 5 MINS TO PREPARE CABIN FOR POSSIBLE EVAC ON ACFT L. I WAS RUNNING ALL NORMAL CHKLISTS IN ORDER TO CATCH UP ENOUGH TO FIND AN ABNORMAL CHKLIST TO RUN AS WE STILL WEREN'T QUITE SURE WHAT SIT WE HAD; AS THE CONVERSATION WITH THE CABIN CREW LED ME TO BELIEVE WE MAY HAVE HAD MORE THAN 1 PROB. HOWEVER; BY THIS TIME WE WERE AT 1000 FT ON FINAL FOR RWY 15L. LANDED OVERWT WITH EQUIP STANDING BY. STOPPED ON RWY; DID NOT EVAC. TWR AND ARPT CFR DID NOT SEE ANY SMOKE OR FIRE FROM ACFT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THERE WAS LITTLE INFO RELEASED BY MAINT ON THE CAUSE OF THE COMPRESSOR STALLS; BUT THE ENG WAS FOUND OK FOR SVC. THE RPTR SAID AFTER THE ENG WENT BACK INTO SVC; IT SUBSEQUENTLY CAUSED 2 REJECTED TKOFS FOR ENG STALLING AT HIGH PWR.