CONCORD, MASS. (WHDH) - A fire that ignited underneath a commuter rail train prompted 200 passengers to evacuate in Concord on Wednesday evening.
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire that had ignited under the rear wheelset while the train was stopped at the West Concord station around 6:20 p.m., according to the MBTA.
Benjamin Thornton, who had been on board the train, recalled the moment passengers were told to evacuate.
“I was on the train, we stopped here, they told us to move back a car,” he said. “All the lights went out; then they said to keep moving back and eventually they told us to get off the car and that the engine was on fire.”
The passengers were then put on another train.
Crews say the fire was sparked by a buildup of dry leaves on the track.
Normal service resumed on the Fitchburg Line around 8:30 p.m.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)