DART train catches fire in Downtown Dallas, hospitalizing 6

DART train catches fire causing rush hour delays

Firefighters put out the flames of a Dallas Area Rapid Transit train fire near Downtown Dallas. Now, passengers should expect rush hour delays.

DALLAS - Firefighters put out the flames of a Dallas Area Rapid Transit train fire near Downtown Dallas. Now, passengers should expect rush hour delays.

DART Train Fire

What we know:

Around 3:30 p.m., a fire sparked on the roof of a train car as it approached a tunnel at the intersection of Ross Avenue and North Central Expressway, where the trains emerged from a tunnel near the Pearl/Arts District Station.

DART officials said one of its trains experienced equipment issues with the pantograph, which is the line connecting the train to the wires that run through everything. 

About 40 people were safely evacuated from the train. In addition to fire engines, Dallas-Fire Rescue sent seven rescue units to check on passengers. 

DART says 15 people were evaluated and six were transported to the hospital. People were checked out for anxiety, breathing difficulty, and minor burns. 

Images from SKY 4 showed fire damage to several train cars, as well as numerous fire trucks and several ambulance units at the scene.

At the time of the fire, DART says there were five trains in the tunnel, including the affected train. Passengers on the other trains were evacuated too. 

What they're saying:

Herbert Hillman was on the train heading to work and said it didn't take long for the train to fill up with smoke.

"When the fire started, you heard the spark and you see the flash," Hillman said. "At that moment a lot of things did run through my mind, just thinking about safety first, leading with safety first." 

Hillman helped fellow passengers get out and called 911. Once he was safe, he took these videos of the fire.

Mario Aldrete works nearby and heard when the train caught fire.

"I just saw a whole bunch of smoke pouring out, and I saw the front train, the back front part of the train was on fire and the middle part. There was a bunch of people already running out of the tunnel," said Aldrete. 

"I ran down the street and I saw a bunch of smoke, and it sounded like a bunch of gunshots going off." 

What we don't know:

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but is believed to be accidental in nature.

It’s not clear how long DART’s service will be suspended in Downtown Dallas.