Flames and smoke force passengers to flee New York City area train

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Flames leapt from the rails of a New York City area commuter train on Monday morning, filling at least one car with smoke and sending several passengers to the hospital for inhalation after they were evacuated, authorities said.

A roughly 30-second video posted to social media by a passenger showed thick smoke on a Port Authority Trans-Hudson train car at the Newport station in Jersey City, New Jersey. People can be heard on the video saying “open the door,” and “easy, easy,” as they eventually disembark.

The video then shows bright orange flames rising nearly to the top of the train car from the rails.

Thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, nine of whom were transported to the hospital for further evaluation, said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the train, in a statement.

The fire started at 6:19 a.m. on an eastbound train and passengers were evacuated to the platform, the authority said. Service on the affected lines resumed about five hours after the fire was first reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced it’s investigating the fire.

The PATH trains conduct an average of about 165,000 passenger trips daily across the Hudson River from northern New Jersey into Manhattan.