CTA Fire Injures Riders
A fire on the CTA’s Red Line Sunday afternoon sent nineteen people to the hospital. The afternoon fire between the Chicago and Division stops reportedly commanded the attention of over 100 firefighters and 10 ambulances.
The cause of the fire was a spark that ignited grease in grease pits which provide lubrication throughout the system to reduce screeching noise, according to Robert Kelly, president of Local 308 of the Amalgamated Transit Union. This was reportedly confirmed by CTA chief executive Richard Rodriguez. According to reports, the dense smoke was caused, in part, by creosote-soaked railroad ties that caught fire.
According to the CTA website, during the fire and investigation, Red Line trains were rerouted to elevated tracks between Fullerton and Cermak-Chinatown. Authorities said that the fire was under control within an hour and 20 minutes. At around 8 p.m. Red Line service was restored in both directions.
