Overheated motor causes smoke to fill State Street Station, MBTA investigating

BOSTON — The MBTA is launching an investigation after a frightening situation on the Orange Line Tuesday.

According to the Boston Fire Department, a 12-inch by 12-inch metal panel was on the Orange Line tracks as one train moved through. The panel was dragged by the first train and damaged the third rail, causing the first train's motor to overheat. Smoke filled State Street Station around 8:30 p.m.

Passengers on a second train then entered the station and also hit the panel, creating even more smoke. The passengers on the second train said they had to break out a window in order to evacuate.

%

%

"There were some people who may have panicked or responded differently to the conditions down there,” a fire official said.

“I think it’s a given that if somebody is kicking glass out of a window they must feel some kind of panic,” Heather Parker, one of the passengers at the station, said.

Fire officials tell FOX25 there were no injuries reported.

MBTA officials are now investigating how the panel got onto the tracks. Officials inspected 120 Orange Line train cars Wednesday night and reinforced 13 panels out of an abundance of caution.

Cox Media Group