Crime & Safety

SEPTA Commuter Train Fire Started in AC Unit

As one car filled with smoke, passengers didn't need to be told what to do, one commuter said.

 aboard a four-car, rush-hour Paoli-Thorndale commuter train started in the fourth car’s air conditioning unit, a SEPTA spokesman said Tuesday afternoon.

The train, originating at Philadelphia’s Market East station at about 6:40 p.m., was stopped shortly after 7 p.m. at Overbrook station, the first stop west of 30th Street Station and east of Merion, after smoke started to fill the fourth car.

Commuters didn’t need to await instructions, said one Main Line resident who was aboard. 

Find out what's happening in Bryn Mawr-Gladwynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“People seemed to figure out, ‘Hey, smoke equals bad—let’s get off this train,’” said Doug Muth, a regular rider of the train formerly known as the R5, who lives in Ardmore.

There were no announcements made or directions given by SEPTA conductors or employees that Muth recalled. But, “I don’t think they needed to,” he said. “People exited orderly.”

Find out what's happening in Bryn Mawr-Gladwynewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

All 300 passengers and crew were evacuated safely, with no injuries, said Andrew Busch, a SEPTA press officer. He said it was unclear when the fire was first noticed by crew members, but that it was likely close to the time the train was due to arrive at Overbrook.

“When it was noticed that [the smoke] was coming out of the top, the best thing in that situation was to get them safely to Overbrook—it wasn’t a situation where it was engulfed in flames or anything like that,” Busch said.

“It all happened so fast—we were pulling into Overbrook, the train was slowing down, and all of a sudden power cuts out,” Muth recalled. “I was in the second to last car, and the last car started filling with smoke. People were looking around, wondering, ‘What’s going on?’”

Perhaps a half minute went by when passengers decided, on their own, to get out, Muth said.

One of the conductors, moving quickly, removed the platform at the end of Muth’s car so that the stairwell was available as soon as the train came to a stop.

Busch said the train is an older model, and he was unaware of the public address system’s capabilities, or if it was damaged due to the fire or smoke. He said at least some passengers were notified by employees that they would be leaving the train after stopping at Overbrook.

“As far as we know, everything was followed by the book,” Busch said, when asked about emergency procedures being deployed.

On the scene for about 20 minutes, taking photos and video, Muth said he saw no flames at all—only smoke, confirming the official word later Monday night from Jerri Williams, SEPTA’s chief press officer. Agency inspectors and fire authorities worked on the problem for about an hour, Williams said, while another train was dispatched to pick up the westbound passengers.

“The fire was within this enclosed air conditioning unit that is on the top of the train,” Busch said, adding that the decision to stop the train had to do with proximity to Overbrook 

“They were already enroute to Overbrook, and in incidences [like this], you do rely on the experience of the crew and the conductors, and the engineer to determine it.They were able to use their judgment and get the passengers to the next station safely. There was no indication of anything coming into the car.”

Not until the approach to Overbrook, Muth said. Nonetheless, “people were pretty calm. I think the fact that we were actually at the station was a huge help.”

Muth, 34, is a computer programmer and software engineer, who works at 19th and Market in Center City. He’s also the webmaster for the Save Ardmore Coalition blog, where he posted the photos that accompany this story, with YouTube videos.

Muth has been commuting to Center City on the Paoli / Thorndale line since 2004. Until Monday, he had only experienced temporary power outages aboard the train, he said.

“This was a first for me,” he said. “I’ve never had to actually get off of a train.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.