Fire in New York subway leads to evacuation, stops service on seven trains

A smoky fire in a storage room led to the evacuation of a busy Manhattan subway station and suspended service Friday morning, transit officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Service on seven train lines was suspended. The West Fourth Street station is a major hub for the Eighth and Sixth avenue lines.

Transit spokesman James Anyansi said the smoke condition was reported during rush hour, around 8 a.m. There was no immediate word on the cause, he said.

The smoke rose through street grates, causing a heavy smoke condition at street level as well, said David Billig, a fire department spokesman, according to the AP.

He said 106 firefighters and 25 pieces of fire equipment were at the scene.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

T.E.