LOS ANGELES : Wires Spark Fire in Subway Tunnel Under Construction
Fire caused by sparks from electrical wires burned a small area of a Metro Rail subway station under construction at Wilshire Boulevard and Normandy Avenue, officials said Monday.
The smoldering fire was reported about 2:50 a.m. Sunday by a Los Angeles Police Department officer who noticed smoke billowing from the site, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials.
Robert L. Aaron, a battalion chief with the Los Angeles Fire Department, said the fire occurred on the station’s south wall after sparks from the electrical wires dropped into a plastic membrane that is installed as a barrier against methane gas and water. The fire burned a 4-by-40-foot section of the plastic membrane and a smaller area of boards along the wall, Aaron said.
A team of 24 firefighters extinguished the fire in a few minutes, Aaron said. Ronald N. Tutor, managing partner of the joint venture that is building the station, said that construction work resumed on Monday. He estimated that the fire caused $5,000 to $7,000 in damage.
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