The FDNY says a four‑car MTA vacuum train caught fire beneath Astor Place at 2:15 a.m. on Aug. 4, injuring 14 people, including six firefighters and eight MTA workers. Fire crews deployed handlines, supplied the train's sprinkler system and conducted primary and secondary searches while evacuating a passenger train. Most injuries were reported as minor; service on the 4, 5 and 6 lines was restored for the morning rush. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
Vacuum Train Fire at Astor Place Injures 14, Including Firefighters and MTA Workers
Emergency responders at the Astor Place subway station in Manhattan on Tuesday, Aug. 4.Credit: NYFD/Facebook
Fourteen people were injured early on Aug. 4 after a four-car MTA vacuum train caught fire beneath the Astor Place subway station in Manhattan, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) said.
The FDNY responded to reports of the blaze at 2:15 a.m., encountering heavy smoke at street and station levels from the fully involved vacuum train operating below ground. A vacuum train is a specialized track‑cleaning vehicle used to remove litter and steel dust from tracks to reduce the risk of fires and signal problems, the MTA says.
Firefighting Response
"Units immediately began to deploy handlines to knock down the fire, supply the train's onboard sprinkler system, and conduct primary and secondary searches," Assistant Chief Thomas Currao said in a statement. Firefighters worked to extinguish flames inside the vacuum train's filter compartment while also evacuating a northbound passenger train that entered the station during the incident.
Astor Place subway stationCredit: Citizens of the Planet/Universal Images Group via Getty
"As soon as the fire department clears the train, we should be able to move that train... There will be residual delays but we are actually in place to start morning service, rush hour traffic," Currao said at a press conference, per ABC News.
Injuries, Service Impact, And Investigation
Six firefighters and eight MTA workers were injured; the FDNY told reporters most injuries were minor and non‑life‑threatening. Video footage shared by local outlets showed smoke billowing from the station entrance as first responders entered and passengers and transit workers fled the platform. One rider told WCBS, "It was smoke coming from down the platform, filling up the whole station, and it got unbearable. And we all started to cough. A lot of people ran outside."
The city's emergency notification system warned of delays and service changes in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The MTA reported that service on the 4, 5 and 6 lines was restored in time for the morning rush. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and FDNY investigators are continuing their inquiry.
Hours after the incident, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin posted on social media: "Terrible to wake up to the news that eight MTA workers and six firefighters were injured overnight in a fire at the Astor Place station. These brave New Yorkers are in my thoughts this morning as they recover."
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