Red Line service delayed after small fire underneath train at Charles-MGH station
BOSTON - A small fire underneath a Red Line train caused delays Thursday morning.
Boston Deputy Fire Chief James Greene said firefighters were called to the Charles - MGH station around 5:45 a.m. and found flames on the tracks on the outbound side.
"A piece of the train, a piece of mechanical equipment under the train caught fire," Greene told reporters.
He said the train was "fairly full" at the time, but everyone was able to evacuate on the platform and get out of the station safely. No one was hurt.
Deputy Chief James Greene briefs the media on the fire. At approximately 5:45 companies responded to a Fire under the @MBTA Red Line train at Charles /MGH . All passengers self evacuated, there were no injuries to report. pic.twitter.com/wrXl5jlhu4
— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) July 13, 2023
Once another train left the station, Green said they were able to put out the fire, but they did have one issue.
An empty pipe that's in the station to be filled with water for fires fell apart when they put water in it.
"The water started filling the first floor of the station. What that means for us is there's no water getting up to where we need it on the tracks so it became a more manual operation," Greene said.
That means firefighters had to bring out a hose and also carry water cans in to put out the flames. Greene said it's their standard backup plan but he called the delay a "nuisance."
The deputy chief said he's not sure when the pipe was last inspected or tested, but that's it's supposed to be done regularly.
There's no word yet on how the fire started.
Shuttle busses replaced service between Harvard and Broadway. For the latest MBTA service information, click here.