Fire on SEPTA train at Paoli Station in Chester County, Pennsylvania, placed under control
Service is resuming on SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale line on Wednesday morning after a fire on a Regional Rail train at Paoli station Tuesday night.
SEPTA said the fire started at around 11 p.m. in the rear car of the train at Paoli Station.
Paoli Fire Company Chief Jay Wustner said crews were dispatched for a report of an explosion, and found the two rear cars of a westbound Regional Rail train on fire. Once crews confirmed power to the overhead lines was shut off, firefighters fought the flames and placed it under control after midnight.
SEPTA was reporting no delays on the line Wednesday morning. Chester County Emergency Management officials said service was set to resume at 5 a.m.
When the fire broke out, the crew evacuated the train, but one of the members was taken to Paoli Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. No one else was injured, according to SEPTA. No passengers were on board during the time of the fire; only the crew was present.
Wustner described the damage in the train cars as "extensive...to the point where they would not be operational."
Firefighting efforts were complicated after a vehicle struck one of the water lines connected to a hydrant near Lancaster Avenue, causing crews to deploy to a second hydrant up the street.
The cause of the fire and explosion are under investigation. Wustner said the explosion may have been caused by equipment that was involved in the fire.
