The Eastern Market Metro station was temporarily evacuated and riders faced disruptions on a portion of the Blue, Orange and Silver Line after it appears someone set fire to a train seat Friday morning. No riders were injured, but the train operator who put out the fire was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, Metro said. “Around 9:30 a.m. a train operator reported a fire on board the train, after someone set fire to a seat,” Metro spokeswoman Sherry Ly told WTOP in an email. The train operator quickly put out the fire, but the train was off-loaded because of the smoke and the station was temporarily evacuated, she said.
Trains on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines were single-tracking between Federal Center Southwest and Stadium-Armory and bypassing Eastern Market station for about two hours Friday morning. Metro said train service had been restored at the station by about 11:30 a.m., but that riders should expect some residual delays. New Metro General Manager Randy Clarke tweeted his apologies to Metro riders and said he, too, was stuck on a train after service was disrupted.
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Metro Transit Police are treating the train that was set on fire as a crime scene, and the train remains on the track at the Eastern Market station. No word yet on a suspect in the fire. WTOP’s John Aaron, reporting live from outside the Eastern Market station, said there was a large police and fire response. Metro riders earlier shared photos on Twitter of smoke inside the Eastern Market station.
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WTOP’s Lauren Hamilton contributed to this report.
