Subway Fire Causes Evacuation And Delay

A fire broke out underneath a Red Line subway train in Central Square yesterday afternoon, filling the tunnels with acrid smoke and sending frightened passengers into the street. No injuries were reported, officials said.

The fire started at about 3:50 p.m. beneath an inbound train pulling into Central Square Station, according to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) spokesperson Peter Diamond.

The fire appears to have been caused by "burning debris" caught under the train, Diamond said.

But one MBTA employee said the fire, which sent smoke billowing out of ventilation grates along Mass. Ave., was caused by an electrical problem with a "brake shoe."

The smell of smoke and the interruption of subway service caused a crowd to gather outside the Central Square station. Several MBTA and Cambridge police cars remained outside the smoke-filled station, along with fire trucks, ambulances and MBTA emergency repair vehicles, which blocked traffic for about half an hour.

"The train crew safely evacuated the train and the station," Diamond said. Damage to the train was "minimal," he added.

Red Line service was suspended when the fire broke out, and was restored at about 4:20 p.m. More than 40 minutes after the fire, commuters in Harvard Square Station could still smell the fumes and see a haze of smoke hanging below the platform lights.