SAN FRANCISCO – The Civic Center BART station in San Francisco was closed Tuesday afternoon because of an electrical fire caused by a blown insulator.
The San Francisco Fire Department said there was an electrical fire on the station’s third rail. The fire department was able to put out the fire with a dry chemical extinguisher.Â
A BART spokesperson said the station was evacuated and that one track on the third rail was damaged and will need repairs.Â
No one was injured during the incident.
“A blown insulator makes a loud noise and generates smoke and arcing,” said Chris Filippi, BART spokesperson. “We evacuated the station and San Francisco Fire responded to put out the flames. No injuries [were] reported. There is some damage to our third rail on one track that will need to be repaired.”
The fire caused delays later Tuesday morning.Â
The closure started around 11:30 a.m., though the station reopened about an hour later. The station is now running trains on its undamaged track.
Tuesday’s station closure follows disruptions last week when BART lines from Hayward to the Berryessa station were stalled due to equipment vandalism.Â
The Source: BART, San Francisco Fire Department