Heavy smoke at NYC train station led to minor injuries for 18 commuters
About nine people suffered from smoke inhalation injuries, reports said.
Multiple commuters were injured after heavy smoke filled a New York City subway station on Tuesday.
FDNY said a train hit equipment approaching the 191st Street station in Washington Heights, a Manhattan neighborhood, just before 1 p.m.
Officials said the "object on the track" struck the third rail, resulting in "a smoke condition" at the 1 train station. Firefighters responded to the scene and contained the issue within an hour; however, the situation did cause some significant delays, according to WABC and Spectrum News.
FDNY Deputy Assistant Chief Mike Woods confirmed with local reporters that it was "just smoke" and "no active fire."
The train station was back up and running on Thursday, both WABC and Spectrum News have reported.
'Smoke was so thick'
The FDNY said that 18 individuals were evaluated for minor injuries, and 16 were transported to local hospitals. According to the reports, nine suffered from smoke inhalation.
Vincent Mack, who was on the train, told Spectrum News it was difficult to see while trying to exit the station.
"I kept looking to the ground as I was walking. For some reason I could see the ground but the smoke was so thick," he said. "I was ready to see the light because I knew when I saw the light that was going to be the outside."
He continued, "The smoke was so thick that people was about to pass out."
Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for Paste BN. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com.