13 Injured In PATH Train Fire In Jersey City: Official

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — A fire in a Jersey City PATH train early Monday morning sent several commuters to the hospital and suspended some trains between New York and New Jersey, officials said.

Shortly after 11 a.m., the Port Authority said some service had resumed.

In a message, the agency said, "Hoboken-WTC and JSQ-33rd Street resumed service at 11 a.m. Until noon, NJT will be cross-honoring PATH passengers on trains at Hoboken, New York Penn and Newark Penn; on the Hudson Bergen Light Rail between Exchange Place, Newport and Hoboken; and on buses 87 and 126. NY Waterway will be cross-honoring PATH riders at Hoboken, Brookfield, Midtown and Paulus Hook."

Thirteen people were treated for smoke inhalation and nine of those were taken to the hospital for further evaluation, the agency said.

The fire began around 6:19 a.m. under an eastbound train in the Newport PATH Station, the agency said.. The cause is under investigation.

Commuter videos posted to social media showed smoke in the Journal Square Station during morning rush hour.

"Scary videos of this going around social media," wrote Jersey City activist Kevin Bing. "Hope everyone is OK. This should be a wakeup call for the Port Authority's chronic underinvestment in our system."

Commuters already had been frustrated after a train derailment caused a daylong suspension of PATH service between Hoboken and Manhattan on July 12. The PATH trains had closed for a month in January for repairs, but the Port Authority now says the line needs more work.

Thus, trains from Hoboken are running more slowly through Labor Day. READ MORE: New Summer Of Hell? Hoboken PATH Trains To Be Slower Through Labor Day: Port Authority

Commuters expressed their frustrations again on Monday morning.

PATH responded:

Last month, Seth Stein, the Port Authority spokesperson said in a statement, "We sincerely appreciate our riders’ patience, and we expect speed restrictions in and out of Hoboken station to be in effect until after Labor Day weekend. During that time, we will make alternate travel options available as needed.

"Our investigation currently suggests that the derailment may have been caused or exacerbated by the design of a guard rail, a component of the new interlocking installed at Hoboken in February."

He added, "PATH Forward will mean more reliable rides but also asks our riders to bear with us as we carry out significant work on the system to make that a reality. Any failure of the new equipment is unacceptable, and we have brought in outside experts to prevent a future recurrence of these malfunctions.”

PATH train updates can be found here.