Service restored after early-morning train incident; residual delays possible

Service was restored around 8:45 am Thursday on three East Bay lines after an early-morning fire reported on a train that caused major delays for several hours. Small residual delays may be expected as service resumes. 

The incident began around 4:30 am after reports of a fire outside the last car on a three-car northbound train. It is possible that the fire was related to electrical arcing, but it's too early to say for sure, and an investigation is underway, said BART Spokesman Jim Allison.

An electrical arc is a discharge of current, which can be brief but very bright, when a strong current jumps across a gap in a circuit.

Passengers were evacuated, with three reporting what were described as minor injuries and taken to hospitals. 

The stations closed during the service disruption were Bay Fair, San Leandro, Coliseum, Fruitvale and Lake Merritt, affecting three lines that go through southern Alameda County. Two other lines, the Pittsburg/Bay Point and Richmond lines into San Francisco, were running at close to regular schedule throughout the entire incident, although residual delays are always possible when recovering from a major service event.

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