On December 30, 2003, about 1345 central standard time, a Cessna 182A, N5894B, operated by Travel Express Aviation, L.L.C. (TEA), as a flying club rental airplane, received substantial damage following an attempted engine start when a fire began in the engine compartment. The local fire department arrived on-scene and extinguished the fire. The 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight was not operating on a flight plan. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and commercial pilot were uninjured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident and was en route to University of Illinois-Willard Airport, Champaign/Urbana, Illinois The purpose of the flight was for the commercial pilot to receive a high performance airplane checkout. The commercial pilot reported no previous flight time in the accident airplane. According to the club CFI, the airplane was preflighted with a checklist. During the starting procedure, the engine was over primed. The flooded start procedure was used, which "did not allow engine start." Upon the second start, smoke was seen from the cowling, and the plane was evacuated. According to the commercial pilot, the airplane was preflighted with a checklist. During the first attempt, the engine did not turn over. After repriming, the engine still did not start. Smoke was observed from the cowling. He was instructed by the club CFI to continue cranking the engine over. A fire was then observed and engine was shut-down. The airplane was then evacuated according to the commercial pilot. During an on-scene conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board Investigator-In-Charge and the Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the commercial pilot stated that after the fire erupted, he searched for a fire extinguisher in the accident airplane and in the surrounding club airplanes, but none were available. During an on-scene interview, the commercial pilot stated that the mixture control was retarded to the idle cutoff position while he continued cranking the engine following the second engine start attempt. Post accident inspection of the cockpit revealed that the mixture control was in the full rich position, and the fuel selector was not in the off position. The engine firewall was warped.