Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Aug 4
Astor Place Subway Fire Injures 13, Disrupting 4 5 6 Service Before Restoration
Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Aug 4

Astor Place Subway Fire Injures 13, Disrupting 4 5 6 Service Before Restoration

3 articles · Updated · Gothamist · Aug 4

Summary

  • Seven MTA workers and six firefighters were hospitalized with minor injuries after a vacuum train caught fire at Astor Place around 2:15 a.m.; another worker refused treatment.
  • 141 first responders were sent in after the call escalated to a second alarm just before 3 a.m., and firefighters brought the blaze under control by 5:30 a.m.
  • 4, 5 and 6 service was later restored after the Manhattan station was cleaned, though smoke odor still lingered by mid-morning.
  • Officials have not determined the cause of the fire; an earlier report said the blaze started in the work train's filter bay and may have involved oil and debris.

Insights

How did a cleaning train fire injure 14 workers and firefighters yet spare passengers, and what prevented a far worse subway disaster?
What made the Astor Place subway work-train fire so difficult to extinguish, and could the same risk be hiding elsewhere underground?