MTA Adds Buses Here After Fire

Bus service from Harvard Square was temporarily increased and emergency routes added because of the fire which disabled an MTA train on Saturday evening. The four-car train caught fire at 5:55 p.m., interrupting service until 9:00 p.m. and inconveniencing an estimated 45,000 people.

Commuters, unable to get trains, jammed the buses and trackless trolleys which were added in the emergency. Additional streetcars were run from Harvard Square and Andrew Square, carrying passengers from Cambridge to the Massachusetts Avenue station, and from Dor chester to Park St.

The power throughout the line was turned on again at 8:37 p.m. and traffic from Harvard Square to Ashmont was resumed shortly. District Fire Chief John F. Sampson said the fire was probably due to a short circuit caused by defective wiring. Damage was estimated at $5000.

The fire broke out outside the Columbia station, and the train's 200 passengers were evacuated at the station.