Outbreaks of Fire, Smoke Shut Down Metro Stations

Hundreds of Passengers Scramble as All 5 Rail Lines Affected

Five separate outbreaks of fire or smoke on the Metrorail system shut down several stations and halted train service in spots last night, in a series of disruptions that appeared to be without precedent in the system's 30-year history.

Each of the incidents, which occurred within a two-hour period, appeared to stem from a different cause, Metro officials said. But the overall effect, which sent hundreds of confused passengers scrambling, seemed unnerving and bewildering.

All affected stations had reopened by 9:30 p.m., and service was expected to be normal today. Even so, Metro's general manager, John B. Catoe Jr., said extra supervisors will be on duty this morning.

The closures, in Virginia and the District, affected all five rail lines. Compounding the almost unavoidable sense of an evening on the verge of chaos, one of the shuttle buses used to carry passengers around the closed stations caught fire in downtown Washington. One person tripped and fell while getting off the burning bus. No other injuries were reported.

"We could not catch a break tonight," Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said.

An official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Chris Geldart, said one thing was clear: "There is no terrorist nexus."

In addition to the heavily used Reagan National Airport station, the Huntington, Farragut North and Farragut West stations all were closed for a time, Farbstein said.

Andres Canessa, 31, tried to take a train at the Foggy Bottom station, where smoke was reported but which was not one of those that Metro formally listed as closed. But Canessa said he could not remain on the platform. "It was difficult to breathe down there," he said.

Ravi Khanna, 31, who was trying to get to Silver Spring after flying to National Airport from Detroit, described "a mob of people in line for the shuttle buses."

Speaking of himself and his girlfriend, he said, "We didn't weigh enough to push our way in." So, he said, they took a cab to the Foggy Bottom station, which turned out to be a mistake because of the smoke there. The two decided to wait things out by having dinner.

Farbstein said each of the smoke and fire incidents will be investigated. She said Metro was also "looking into the possibility that one or more may be related."

No indication of any connection among the incidents was known last night. Farbstein called the situation a "bizarre series of incidents" that all gave the initial impression of being "very different."