A welding accident killed one contractor and injured two Metro employees in a subway tunnel in Washington D.C., reported The Washington Post (10.6.13). An explosion and fire broke out in a Red Line Metro tunnel between Union Station and the Judiciary Square stop.
The accident caused flames to erupt, a “loud noise” and a 40-foot-long piece of rail to fall. This long and heavy piece of iron rail is what killed contractor Harold Ingram.
At the time of the workplace accident, major rebuilding work in the subway tunnel was going on. According to The Washington Post, Metro officials initially thought that welding equipment ignited leaking hydraulic fluid from an underground vehicle, causing the explosion and fire. However, it is not yet determined what caused the accident.
The fire was extinguished by hand-held extinguishers.