Transportation

2 MBTA operators sent to hospital after fallen wire causes fire near BC

The two operators, who were on the out-of-service train at the time, were taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation.

Two MBTA train operators were sent to a hospital Sunday evening after a fallen wire made contact with a Green Line trolley at Boston College Yard, causing a fire and disrupting service for several hours.

About 110 feet of overhead catenary wire came down on the tracks near BC around 5 p.m. and made contact with the out-of-service train, sparking flames and electrical arcing, according to the MBTA. The Boston Fire Department responded to the scene a few minutes later and extinguished the fire by 5:26 p.m. 

Two operators, who were on the out-of-service train at the time, were taken to a local hospital for smoke inhalation and were evaluated and released later Sunday, according to the MBTA.

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T power crews arrived at Boston College Yard shortly before 6 p.m. and found no damage to the main B branch wires, completing their repairs within an hour. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. 

Around the same time Sunday evening, however, a westbound Green Line trolley became disabled at Chestnut Hill Avenue due to a mechanical issue and further impacted service. The MBTA rolled out shuttle buses between Boston College and Babcock Street shortly after 5 p.m., with regular service resuming around 11:20 p.m. 

“The MBTA apologizes to riders affected by last night’s service disruptions on the B Branch and thanks them for their patience while crews worked to resume regular service as quickly and safely as possible,” a T spokesperson said.

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Abby Patkin

Staff Writer

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.

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