Orange Line Passengers Break Windows After Train Fills With Smoke
BOSTON (CBS) – There were significant delays on the Orange Line after a train caught on fire at Back Bay station late Wednesday afternoon. The MBTA says an overhead motor overheated, filling the station and the train with smoke.
Passengers on board that train began to panic as the doors wouldn't open.
"I had no idea what was going on, I thought the T was on fire, people were coughing, there was a ton of smoke so the first thing on my mind was just getting out of there," said passenger Brie Shelley.
Video shows passengers kicking out windows trying to exit the disabled train. The MBTA says the doors remained closed because the train had moved away from the platform.
Tracy Taylor, a first responder, was on board that train and along with a transit officer, broke a window.
"I'm a first responder, so I'm trained as much as they are," Taylor said. "I'm on a car that's full of people and these people need help. I saw people panicking and when you're a first responder you don't think, you just do and you're trained and my thought was, we need some fresh air."
Officials with Boston Fire say they also extinguished a small trash fire. Several were treated for smoke inhalation, including three people who were taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
Orange Line service was suspended between Jackson Square and Haymarket, causing severe delays for the evening commute.
