Officials probe fire at NYC's Penn Station
Two New York City firefighters suffered minor injuries and thousands of morning commuters were delayed Tuesday in the aftermath of an overnight blaze near the Penn Station transit hub.
Fire marshals were investigating the blaze, but had not immediately determined the cause or officially declared the incident suspicious, the FDNY said.
Subway service on the A, E and C subway lines, which had been bypassing 34th Street, resumed service through the area at 5:38 a.m., the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said. However, trains operated at slower speeds and with residual delays through the morning rush hour.
There was no damage to Penn Station platforms or track areas. But electrical power to three Penn Station platforms used by the Long Island Rail Road was shut down during the fire.
As a result, the LIRR diverted some morning trains on one of the nation's largest commuter rail networks to final stops at Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, Hunterspoint Avenue in Queens or the Jamaica train hub in Queens.
Commuters to Manhattan had to ride subways from the diversion points, the LIRR said.
The injured firefighters were expected to make full recoveries and return to duty, the FDNY said.
The fire broke out at 2:22 a.m. in an underground construction site at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue near the west side of Penn Station. The blaze was declared under control at 5:22 a.m.
Access to Eighth Avenue between 31st and 34th streets was reopened Tuesday morning.