Metro service restored after tunnel fire near Clarendon station

ARLINGTON, Va. - A fire in a Metro tunnel halted rail service between the Ballston and Rosslyn stations Friday morning. Metro evacuated the Clarendon station and there has been ongoing single tracking through the day.

At around 10 a.m., the Clarendon station was evacuated and the streets immediately surrounding the station were closed for about an hour due to smoke in the tunnel. The Arlington County Fire Department said there was a fire in a tunnel, but it was out by the time they arrived.

FOX 5 has been told firefighters found a cable that was damaged due to the fire, but Metro said this all started as a debris fire and the cable was damaged as a result.

Metro also said this was not an electrical fire due to faulty equipment.

After the scene was cleared, the station did reopen, but people had to deal with single tracking as crews worked to repair the damage from the fire.

On Friday afternoon, Metro confirmed that its acting chief safety officer is stepping down.

Louis Brown resigned after taking over the position last September. It is unknown why he stepped away from his position, but Metro said it has accepted his resignation and will be working to replace him as soon as next week.