BREAKING: SEPTA train on fire at Paoli station. @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/ciJ68Oq2eh
— Matt DeLucia (@MattDeLucia) July 23, 2025
PAOLI, Pa. — A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority employee and a firefighter were injured when a Regional Rail train caught fire late Tuesday (July 22, 2025). No passengers were on board at the time.
WTXF-TV reports two cars caught fire, and more than 70 firefighters from several departments responded after reports of smoke and an explosion at the Paoli station about 11 p.m. Paoli Fire Co. Chief Jay Wustner said it took about two hours to contain the fire.
The train’s conductor was taken to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and was in good condition, KYW radio reports. The firefighter sustained a minor injury but did not require additional treatment.
The train was towed to a yard in Frazier, Pa., overnight; the Paoli/Thornhill line was reported to be operating normally this morning.
SEPTA and the Chester County Fire Marshall’s Office are investigating the cause of the fire. The National Transportation Safety Board has also been notified.
It is at least the second major fire involving a Regional Rail train this year. In February, about 350 passengers were evacuated but no one was injured when a train bound for Wilmington, Del., caught fire near Ridley Park, Pa. [See “Fire engulfs SEPTA railcar …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 6, 2025]. The NTSB is investigating that incident.
Maybe too early but was this car the same model that caught fire at the earlier fire?