In this photo provided by Joe Bunting, commuters cover their mouths as smoke fills the carriage of a Bakerloo line train, near Oxford Circus in London, Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. One of the busiest stations on London's subway system was evacuated Friday morning after a train carriage filled with smoke. London Fire Brigade said crews were investigating "smoke issuing at platform level" at Oxford Circus station. (Joe Bunting via AP)
Republished August 11, 2017 - 4:52 AM
Original Publication Date August 11, 2017 - 1:41 AM
LONDON - A fire broke out on a London subway train Friday, leaving passengers choking on smoke and sparking the rush-hour evacuation of one of the busiest stations on the transit network.
Firefighters dealt with a small blaze aboard a Bakerloo Line train at Oxford Circus station, and paramedics treated four people for smoke inhalation, taking two of them to a hospital as a precaution, authorities said.
Passengers said staff ordered everyone to leave the station just before 9 a.m. (0800 GMT) as smoke billowed from a train.
Passenger Tom Singer tweeted a photograph of smoke filling a carriage and spilling onto a platform. Another photo posted by Joe Bunting showed passengers in a smoky subway car covering their mouths and noses.
Subway operator Transport for London said the cause was an electrical fault under one of the carriages.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017