A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority ( SEPTA ) train carrying 350 passengers burst into flames near Crum Lynne Station in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, on Thursday evening.
The fire, which broke out around 6: 15 pm ( local time ), forced a mass evacuation as thick smoke and flames engulfed a carriage.
According to the Daily Mail, travellers noticed smoke just days after departing from Philadelphia, with some reporting a powerful sulfur-like taste.
According to passenger Dnasia Buckner, the incident immediately escalated, with passengers moving inside the train before the train’s conductors mandated a full evacuation. ” As people were walking by, they said the train’s on fire, but the wires aren’t saying anything”, she said.
Passengers reported that the taste was becoming more intense before the coach came to a stop, according to 6ABC Philadelphia.
To put an end to the incident, firefighters quickly arrived. According to The Mirror, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch praised the staff for their promptness, saying that “our crews’ pretty quick action helped ensure this outcome.”
The actual cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Busch noted that it started “underneath the coach” before spreading, as per 6ABC Philadelphia.
Amtrak functions and SEPTA’s Wilmington range were halted as a result of the fire’s disruption of services along the Northeast Corridor. But, according to CBS Philadelphia, full support was restored later that night. SEPTA provided flight buses to damaged people.
Following a week of travel disasters in the US, including a deadly midair collision in Philadelphia and a Medevac Learjet incident in Washington, DC. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into both aircraft injuries, but according to The Mirror, they have not yet confirmed whether they will look into the SEPTA flames.
