One woman died and at least 60 people were taken to hospitals after smoke filled the L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station on Monday afternoon, forcing the closure of one of the busiest stations in the Metro system.
Officials late Monday had not released the cause of the smoke, which forced hundreds to evacuate the station and caused delays on several Metro lines. Authorities did not release the name of the deceased woman or the cause of her death.
Most of the hospitalized were quickly released, but two people were still in critical condition Monday evening.
Images posted on social media showed a thick haze of smoke inside the station and passengers aboard a stopped train described the cars filling with smoke as riders coughed and sunk to the floor to try and get fresh air.
“The smoke has been cleared out right now we are going through our process of investigating,” District of Columbia Fire and EMS spokesman Tim Wilson said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting the investigation.
Smoke began filling the station, which serves as a transfer point between five of Metro’s six lines, around 3:20 p.m., and firefighters quickly responded. Passengers were evacuated from one train which stopped in a tunnel and the station was closed.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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