Blaze on T tracks disrupts commute
Smoky fire caused by electrical short; 2 stations cleared
Two subway stations were evacuated, and MBTA service was suspended for commuters during the evening rush hour after a small electrical fire broke out on tracks just outside the Downtown Crossing station yesterday.
A 600-volt power cable in the Red Line tunnel shorted and started the blaze that caused the major disruption for commuters, said Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department.
No one was injured, he said.
Firefighters arrived on the scene at about 5:20 p.m. but had to wait for power to be cut before they could put out the fire, MacDonald said. The fire was extinguished by 5:45.
"The problem is, it's created a large smoke condition, and the natural draft of the tunnel is bringing the smoke from Downtown Crossing into the Park Street Station," MacDonald said.
Exhaust fans were activated, and firefighters brought fans from their trucks to the tunnels to move the smoke.
"There's a lot of . . . disruption, because it's raining out and it's such a key part of the whole transportation system," MacDonald said.
Joe Pesaturo, an MBTA spokesman, did not know how many commuters typically use the Red Line during rush hour on a weekday, but said the number was in the thousands.
MBTA officials evacuated the Downtown Crossing and Park Street stations, which had filled with smoke.
Red Line commuters took shuttle buses between the Harvard Square and Broadway stations.
Orange and Green Line trains did not stop in the Downtown Crossing and Park Street stations as firefighters worked to vent smoke, MacDonald said.
Red Line service southbound was restored, and the two stations were opened again by 7:15, Pesaturo said. Northbound service was resumed at 8:20. There should be no lingering problems for this morning's commute, he said.
At Park Street Station, smoke billowed through the Red Line platforms and up through the stairs to the Green Line platforms as hundreds of people were evacuated. Most of those people were left stranded on Boston Common as rain fell.
About seven firetrucks were parked nearby on Tremont Street, feeding water to firefighters below.
When Red Line shuttle buses began to appear at Park Street, passengers lined up to head to Harvard Square, holding umbrellas or briefcases above their heads to stay dry.
Chris Ryan, 58, of Milton sat outside on the common without an umbrella after being stuck on a train and then being evacuated at Park Street.
"I was on my way home from work on the Braintree train, and we just sat there," he said. "They told us it was some delay because of the Boston Fire Department.
"While we were waiting for the train to start moving, the station got smokier and smokier, so they finally evacuated the station," Ryan said.
His wife was going to pick him up at Mattapan Station, but she had a meeting to attend at 7, he said.
"It looks like she is going to have to leave," he said.
Jong Mi Choi, 24, a South Korean exchange student living in Beacon Hill, was trying to catch a train at Park Street to head to Boston University for a 6:20 class.
"I do not think I am going to make it," she said at 6:15 outside the station.
"My professor will probably understand."
In January, an electrical fire suspended service between the JFK/UMass and Park Street stations on the Red Line for more than two hours, according to the Fire Department.
Andrew Station was evacuated because of smoke, and one person was taken to Boston Medical Center with undisclosed injuries.
Globe correspondent Jillian Jorgensen contributed to this report. 