Grand Central fire creates LIRR train nightmare

A stubborn fire at Grand Central Madison in Manhattan wreaked havoc on Long Island Rail Road train schedules Tuesday, forcing multiple branches to reroute or cancel service as the FDNY sought the source of the flames, officials say.

Fire officials said at a news briefing that they were first called to the scene around 8:15 a.m. for a report of smoke -- and it took firefighters several hours to locate the fire source. It was in the deep basement, along the 300-level tracks of the LIRR, says FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker. Visibility was zero, he says.

Once firefighters actually found the fire, they encountered significant flames, which posed challenges in addition to the poor visibility, Tucker said. The fire was out by early afternoon. Three firefighters and one civilian were being treated for minor injuries, Tucker said, adding he was grateful no one had been severely hurt.

Watch NBC 4 free wherever you are

WATCH HERE

LIRR service through Grand Central Madison resuming at 2:41 p.m.

Long Island Rail Road officials announced service at Grand Central Madison would resume as of 2:41 p.m.

Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox with NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.

Notify NYC issued an alert on X warning of possible cancellations and delays for multiple branches. Subways are cross-honoring LIRR fares upstairs on the 7 train at Woodside for service to Grand Central.

According to the LIRR, six branches were dealing with suspensions or reroutes as of 1:30 p.m. Hempstead and West Hempstead were skipping stops. Other branches were operating on or close to schedule. Affected branches include the following:

Babylon
City Terminal Zone
Far Rockaway
Port Jefferson
Port Washington
Ronkonkoma

FDNY photos posted on X showed firefighters crowding around a train platform, looking down a tunnel and what appeared to be a stalled train. The MTA is investigating the cause of the fire.