NEW YORK (AP) -- A smoky subway track fire in Brooklyn slightly injured more than 30 people and snarled the morning commute for thousands on Tuesday, the Fire Department said.
Most of those injured were treated at the scene, said fire department spokesman Paul Iannizzotto.
The 7 a.m. fire led to the evacuation of the Atlantic Avenue station and shut down the 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains _ which connect Brooklyn to both the east and west sides of Manhattan. The Long Island Rail Road also suspended service at its terminal at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues for about 40 minutes.
The fire was brought under control in about an hour but the subway lines remained closed.
Last Wednesday, a power failure disrupted the morning commute for thousands on the 4, 5 and 6 trains along Lexington Avenue. Transit officials said it appeared that water and salt had seeped through a manhole into a tunnel roof near the 33rd Street station, damaging signal cables.
On Jan. 23, the A and C subway lines were severely impaired by a fire that destroyed a signal room at the Chambers Street station in lower Manhattan.
New York City Transit's president later apologized for upsetting commuters when he said it would take up to five years to fully restore service on the damaged lines. The revised estimate is six to nine months.
