Two MBTA employees hospitalized after bus catches fire

Two MBTA employees were transported to the hospital after a bus caught fire at Arborway bus yard Thursday, officials said. 

At around 3:10 p.m., an out of service bus had returned to a Jamaica Plain bus yard when flames were observed in its rear compartment, MBTA spokesperson Lisa Battiston said in a statement to Boston.com. MBTA employees attempted to put out the fire but “were unsuccessful.”

The Boston Fire Department responded to the scene, extinguishing the flames. Two MBTA employees were hospitalized “to be evaluated for possible smoke inhalation,” Battiston said. 

The cause of the fire is unknown, but under investigation.

This is not the first safety issue the MBTA has faced this year, with several injuries and deaths linked to the transit agency’s equipment and infrastructure.  

A man was dragged to his death after his arm was caught in a Red Line door in April.

In May, a man died at the Park Street station after coming into contact with the third rail. Earlier in the month, a woman was struck and killed by a commuter rail train in Salem. 

Following a series of safety incidents, the Federal Transit Administration said it is “extremely concerned with the ongoing safety issues” at the T and will take on an “increased safety oversight role” of the transit system, according to a letter obtained by The Boston Globe. 

The bus fire comes only a day after the MBTA announced that the Orange Line will shut down for 30 days to allow track and signal maintenance.