Geoff Herbert

syracuse.com

(TNS)

Fourteen people were hurt in a subway train fire in New York City, according to multiple reports.

A southbound subway work train caught fire on the express tracks at the Astor Place station just before 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to WABC. At the same time, a northbound train arrived at the station and evacuated its passengers.

Heavy smoke filled the East Village station and also spread above ground, according to the New York Daily News. Eight MTA workers and six firefighters were injured while trying to make sure no passengers were injured, WABC reported.

“A lot of heavy smoke, not only at street level but also at the station level,” FDNY Assistant Chief Tom Currao told media.

According to Currao, the fire started in a four-car vacuum train, used to to clean up debris and litter off the tracks.

“It pulls up the oil and debris from the tracks. We think that might have possibly been one of the areas where the ignition occurred,” Currao explained.

Most of the injuries were due to smoke inhalation, according to the FDNA. None were considered life-threatening; seven people were taken to area hospitals and quickly released.

The Daily News reports service crews cut power to the tracks around 2:30 a.m. as firefighters fought the blaze. The fire was put out around 4 a.m., but water on the tracks and drainage issues delayed full service from resuming until after 6:30 a.m.

“Grateful no one was seriously hurt and service was restored for most of rush hour on Lexington Line,” the MTA wrote on social media, along with photos of Head of Subways Bill Amarosa Jr. inspecting the damage.

According to the Daily News, a similar fire occurred on a vacuum car under contract with federal railway Amtrak beneath Penn Station in May.

An investigation is ongoing.

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