13 Injured In Caltrain Fire, Service Suspended 'Indefinitely'

SAN BRUNO, CA — Caltrain service is stopped in both directions on the Peninsula after a fiery crash near San Felipe and Huntington Avenue in San Bruno near SFO, Caltrain reports.

San Bruno Fire Chief Ari Delay reported one severe injury, five moderate injuries, and seven minor injuries. 11 of the 13 injured were passengers, and four were taken to the hospital, ABC7 reports.

A southbound train that left San Francisco for San Jose at 10:14 a.m. Thursday crashed with an on-track equipment truck at about 10:38 a.m., creating a huge fireball. The fire has since been extinguished, and the train was safely evacuated, Caltrain said.

There were 75 passengers on the train and 13 reported injuries. A crew member and equipment operator were transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the truck has also been transported to the hospital.

Twitter footage from witness Jesse Miller shows fire on the tracks where the train appears to have dragged the vehicle. SkyFox footage shows mangled equipment and firefighters putting out flames. The East Bay Times said that 25 units and 60 personnel responded to the incident.

Caltrain spokesperson Jeremy Lipps said that the the truck was being used for Caltrain's track electrification work in San Bruno to help convert trains from diesel to electric ones in the coming years.

The program has been temporarily suspended "to ensure that all appropriate safety protocols are in place," Bay City News reports.

Caltrain tweeted at 10:58 that SB506 service is terminated due to a fire on the tracks. Trains are currently being held on both tracks, according to Caltrain.

Southbound trains from San Francisco are turning around at South San Francisco, and northbound trains from San Jose are turning around at Millbrae, with service impacts expected to last into the evening, according to Caltrain.

San Mateo Transit and BART are offering mutual aid, Caltrain said. Lipps told the East Bay Times that major disruptions may persist "indefinitely" and while the service will be available in the morning, it is unclear what level of service.

The exact cause of the collision is still being investigated.

— Bay City News contributed to this report. Refresh for updates.