Amtrak service resumes following Parkchester fire
Chief Woods said that there was brush burning outside the warehouse, but it was not yet known if that was the initial cause.
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UPDATE: Amtrak service has resumed from NYC to New Haven after fire and from NYC to D.C. after power line issues.
Original story below.
A three-alarm fire with thick, black smoke ripped through Parkchester on Tuesday, impacting Amtrak service and Bronx residents living nearby.
Officials said the three-alarm response was actually two fires in one section of the area, separated by about a quarter mile from each other.
“I cannot deny nor confirm that they are related,” said FDNY Chief Kevin Woods
Leaders said the first fire broke out around 2:15 p.m. on Bronxdale Avenue near a 60,000 square-foot warehouse that stored auto parts.
Meanwhile, FDNY said the second fire involved a transformer along the Amtrak line near the Con Edison substation in Parkchester.
Con Ed spokesperson Philip O’Brien, told News 12 that a high-voltage feeder cable caught fire.
“The fire from Amtrak's equipment spread across a chain-link fence to the employee parking lot for the Con Edison facility,” said O’Brien. “And I’m being told it damaged two or three cars.”
O’Brien said the fires did not impact Con Ed service or customers.
Amtrak said brush also caught fire, as the city currently faces a drought watch and red fire warning.
“There’s been more brush fires in the past 11 days than we’ve had in any previous month in over two years,” said Woods.
Amtrak service was suspended Tuesday evening from Penn Station to New Haven, Connecticut but resumed Wednesday evening.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
“Right now, both of these fires are under control,” said Woods.
Both fires are still under investigation.
As of Tuesday night, officials said it was too soon to tell if the fires would impact Wednesday morning’s commute.
Amtrak says it hopes to restore normal service by 2 p.m.
