(The Associated Press circulated the following article on September 9.)
NEW YORK — Fire broke out in an equipment room and spread smoke inside New York’s busy Pennsylvania Station, shutting down several commuter train tracks and forcing a partial evacuation Thursday evening, the fire department said.
The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known.
The fire was reported about 7:40 p.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said. The station has several tracks for Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, Metro-North Railroad and the Long Island Rail Road.
Firefighters were able to keep the flames contained to the equipment room, and the fire was out by 9:30 p.m., fire department Deputy Chief John Norman said. One firefighter suffered an eye injury, and a railroad employee suffered smoke inhalation, Norman said.
Penn Station is the city’s busiest transportation hub, serving some 550,000 passengers a day.