Shocking Findings: August Subway Fire
Im sure we all remember the fire and evacuation of two crowded trains on the Manhattan Bridge this past August. There are now reports that subway dispatchers failed to stop two trains from entering a smoke-filled tunnel, even though they received warnings about fire on the tracks. [A state investigation reveals that many mistakes were made when dealing with the incident this summer, in which more than 4,000 passengers were trapped on two trains over 130 feet above the East River]; two dozen of the riders were injured by smoke inhalation. The Daily News reports:
Most of the blunders involved poor communications among Transit Authority workers and supervisors. They included the distracting chatter on TA radios by workers not involved in the emergency despite the broadcasting of a code that should have cleared the airwaves for just critical communications.
They also note that the fire spread due to debris left on the tracks by workers and lax inspection rules. Perhaps the most shocking thing revealed by the report is that the TA had planned to reverse the trains back into Manhattan, but the Fire Department (without informing the TA) started evacuating passengers. Worse, the evacuation went on for seven minutes before the third-rail's lethal current was turned off. Tragedy averted ... but just barely.