Cause of New York City Subway Fire Still Unclear

NEW YORK (AP) -- Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly emphasized that it remained unclear what started a fire that shut down two subway lines and destroyed a signal room, despite reports that a homeless person may have ignited the blaze.

``It is not determined as yet whether this fire was caused by a homeless person,'' Kelly said Tuesday. ``We don't know exactly how the fire started.''

``There were no witnesses'' and no video cameras in the vicinity of the fire, the commissioner added.

Authorities had previously said they thought a homeless person set a shopping cart on fire in a tunnel near the Chambers Street station on Sunday, the second day of a blizzard. The blaze spread to a nearby equipment room, destroying a critical nerve center that controlled signals for the A and C lines.

``There's some notion floating out there that there are communities that live in the subway,'' Kelly said. ``That's simply not the case. There may have been 10 or 15 years ago, but that's not the situation now.''

Fire Department spokesman Michael Loughran said fire marshals were continuing their investigation into the fire's cause.

Transit officials said it would take three to three to six months to restore service on the affected subway lines, but that the signal room would not be fully repaired for three to five years.

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