Jul 11, 2006 11:36 pm US/Central
CTA Fire, Derailment Forces Blue Line Evacuation
CTA Not Sure When Full Blue Line Service Will Be Restored
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl, Mike Parker, Jay Levine, Suzanne Le Mignot and Mai Martinez also contributed to this report.
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Dozens of shaken and soot-covered commuters were evacuated from a smoke-filled subway tunnel during Tuesday's afternoon rush hour after a train derailment and fire on a commuter line, officials said, adding there was no indication the incident was terrorism-related.
The last car of a commuter train derailed shortly after 5 p.m. Material under the train caught fire and thick smoke filled the subway line, said Chicago Transit Authority president Frank Kruesi. All commuters appeared to have been evacuated within less than an hour.
The incident occurred during the evening rush hour on the Chicago Transit Authority route that runs between downtown and O'Hare International Airport.
Fire Commissioner Raymond Orozco says 152 people were taken to 12 local hospitals, many suffering from smoke inhalation. Another 33 people received medical attention at the scene but refused hospital treatment. Officials say most people are in stable condition, but there are some in serious condition. Most in serious condition suffered from asthma or a previous condition.
Approximately 18 passengers from the derailed train were being treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where two were in critical condition the rest in good or fair condition, a press release said. Most were being treated for smoke inhalation.
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center spokeswoman Noreen Vaid said 45 passengers were brought in, mainly with respiratory complaints and minor cuts and bruises. Two were in serious condition, two were fair and the rest were listed in good condition, Vaid said.
At Stroger Hospital, three people were in serious but stable condition Tuesday night.
The Red Cross has set up a hotline for people to find out if their family members have been treated at a hospital from the accident. People can call (312) 729-6100 to see if a family member or loved one was involved in the incident.
Kruesi said the train, which was headed toward O'Hare Airport, had just left the downtown Clark and Lake station shortly after 5 p.m. when the operator realized there was a problem and stopped the train. The operator called for power to the train to be cut, Kruesi said, then proceeded to lead passengers out of the cars and through the smoky subway tunnel to the nearest emergency exit, where they climbed out through a grate onto the street above.
"This thing happened the way it was supposed to happen," Kruesi said, noting that training paid off after a similar mass casualty drill held three weeks ago.
Kruesi said it appears that the last set of wheels on the last car of an eight-car train somehow left the tracks at Grand and Clark. A smoky fire started near the site of the derailment.
Kruesi praised the operator, who he said had been on the job for 19 months and led passengers out of the tunnel holding hands in a single-file line.
"The courage that all the firefighters, police and CTA personnel had, and the way people came out, holding hand to hand. The CTA motorman did an excellent job. Have to praise him, he saved a lot of lives," Mayor Daley said.
Officials said it was too early Tuesday evening to say what had caused the derailment. Kruesi said the National Transportation Safety Board had been contacted and was expected to investigate.
Bomb and arson detectives were investigating, said Chicago Police Superintendent Philip Cline, but he said "there's no (indication of) foul play at this time."
Office of Emergency Management and Communications Executive Director Andrew Velasquez said his center received about 46 calls at the time of the incident.
Passenger: 'I Could Barely Breathe'For the most part, the train evacuation went smoothly and investigators praised the passengers for remaining calm.
"I thought it was a terrorist attack. I did. And I said it to somebody. They got very nervous themselves, so I said, 'I'm not gonna say that again,'" one man said.
CBS 2's Kris Habermehl in Chopper 2 was the first overhead at Clinton and Fulton in the near West Loop as Blue Line riders were evacuated from the underground tunnels and emerged from a street-level hatch. It was one of several locations where people were being evacuated from dark and smoke-filled conditions.
"Once we got out of the train it felt much more safe," said Rita Bacon, 25. "Everyone was just holding out their hands, holding each other's hands, feeling their way along. It was pitch black in places, but there were signs in the tunnel that said, '500 feet to the exit, 250 feet to the exit,' so I felt much better."
Approximately 20 ambulances were dispatched to Clinton and Fulton. Emergency personnel were also stationed at Grand and Milwaukee, Kinzie and Milwaukee, LaSalle and Lake, and Lake and Clark.
"Somebody said they stepped on a rat, but it was completely dark and we were holding onto this railing and then found a tunnel and had to go all the way up a staircase to get to the street," passenger Carley Olson said.
But with just one man, the CTA conductor, trying to evacuate a train of 1,000 passengers, there was some confusion. Passenger Christopher Smith painted a terrifying picture of what happened in the subway.
"It seemed like the back of the train derailed. I was in about the fourth car. I was standing up against the doors," Smith said. "It sounded like trains were falling and collapsing or something."
Smith described hearing a series of bangs.
"It didn't sound like an explosion," he said. "I was waiting for our car to tip. It never happened."
Smith said people from cars further back ran up to his car and were pounding on the windows to get into his car. Smith said passengers got the doors open and let them in.
"People were pounding on the glass. They were outside already. People wanted in," Smith said. "They were behind me, back further near the end and they had already gotten out. But it seemed like they didn't know what to do because they were trying to get back into the train. And as we were walking, some people then did get back into the train."
Eventually, the passengers made their way out through the darkness.
"No direction at all from the CTA. No announcements on the train at all. None. Everyone was on our own. People didn't know which way to go," Smith said.
Many people were telling people to stay clam and helping the elderly out of the train, he said.
"It was very close to being very chaotic," he said.
Another passenger, George, had just gotten on the Blue Line at Washington minutes before he smelled smoke, turned and saw it filling the car behind him.
George said the evacuation went relatively smoothly.
"Everybody seemed to be calm. We were following the platform that they had there, holding on to the railing. It seemed like it took forever to get out of there," George said.
Joel Johnson, 24, of Chicago said he was on the train three cars from the back when "it felt like it jumped the line, and a fire started in the car behind me."
"I saw the orange flames but I didn't hear it," said Johnson, whose face and white shirt were covered in soot. "People started running to the front (of the train), the whole place was filled with smoke, I could barely breathe."
Brenda Lopez was on the same car.
"It just kind of dipped a little," the 24-year-old Chicagoan said. "It was crowded. I was scared. I'm still kind of scared right now. You never expect it to happen on the train you're on."
Blue Line Service InterruptedKruesi said trains from O'Hare until Damen and from Forest Park to Washington are still running. In the area between Damen and Washington, shuttle buses are being used to transport passengers.
He could not estimate how long it would take to get Blue Line service running normally. The train needs to be removed, and repairs are necessary on the tracks, third rail and signal system. About 10 feet of the third rail was damaged. Approximately 200-300 feet of running rail is spread slightly.
"We'll restore service as soon as it's safe," Kruesi said.
Passengers can visit the CTA Web site or call 1-888-YOUR-CTA for information and alternate routes.
Meanwhile, CTA Blue Line riders who evacuated their train following a derailment Tuesday afternoon will be able to retrieve the belongings they may have left behind.
Personal belongings that were left behind on the Blue Line train can be picked up at the Central District police station, 1718 S. State St., "anytime after 6 a.m. Wednesday," said police News Affairs Officer Kristina Schuler. If anyone who was on the train would like to call the Central District before they head down there, the phone number to call is (312) 745-4290, she added.
The last major CTA accident was back in 2001.
More than 200 'L' passengers were injured after a southbound Brown Line train rear-ended a Purple Line train that was parked on the tracks near Oak and Orleans. The trains were locked together, but they did not derail.
Most of the passengers were treated for minor injuries.
Video Library
CTA Fire, Derailment Made For Hellish Commute Home Passengers Describe CTA Blue Line Fire Evacuation Passengers Treated For Smoke Inhalation After CTA Fire Officials Praise Passengers, Responders After CTA Incident Blue Line Fire, Derailment Creates Chaos On The CTA WEB EXTRA: Press Conference Updating CTA Train Derailment & Fire Passenger Of 'L' Train Describes Accident, Evacuation Passenger Describes Smelling Smoke, Evacuating In Darkness WEB EXTRA: CTA President Frank Kruesi Briefs Reporters Fire Department Spokesperson Confirms Fire On CTA Line Hundreds Of People Evacuated Following Blue Line Fire BREAKING NEWS: Passengers Evacuated Following CTA Fire
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
