A small fire broke out beneath a Red Line Metro train Thursday morning at the Shady Grove station, causing lots of concern but little damage.
Metro officials were alerted to the blaze just after 8 a.m. as the six-car train pulled into the station. The flames spread to what they thought might have been debris along the tracks, causing some smoke to spread throughout the busy station, said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.
Metro personnel were able to extinguish the blaze within 15 minutes after it was reported, and no one was injured. The train was taken out of service and sent to the repair yard on its own power.
News of the fire spread quickly through the morning traffic reports, which warned people to seek alternative routes, but Taubenkibel said riders felt only some delays as trains were able to move around the scene without incident.
“It was extinguished within a few minutes and we were able to return to normal service pretty quickly,” he said. The cause of the fire is unclear.
