(03-09) 10:12 PST SAN FRANCISCO — A fire on the Muni level of the Embarcadero station this morning halted BART and Muni metro trains in both directions and forced authorities to evacuate passengers.
Black smoke could be seen pouring for several minutes from the stairways of the Embarcadero and Montgomery street stations and from a grill in front of 425 Market St. starting about 9:30 a.m. The smoke had largely dissipated within half an hour, and the fire had been extinguished.
Two people were being treated at the scene for minor smoke inhalation, said San Francisco Fire Department spokesman Capt. Pete Howes. Several ambulances were standing by at the scene, and Fire Department personnel had laid out stretchers.
Howes said he did not know exactly where in the station the fire had started and did not know the cause.
Service on both BART and Muni was halted. Throngs of passengers were reported stranded on platforms throughout the systems.
BART passengers on one train in Oakland were told service would be halted for 45 minutes to an hour. Transit system spokesman Jim Allison said he had no idea when service might be restored.
Market Street was closed between Davis and Montgomery streets, and Muni buses that use area cross streets were being rerouted.
Check back for further developments.
