Photo: ABS-CBN News video screengrab" width="100%" />
Clouds of smoke billowed from the LRT-2 in Quezon City as fire broke out just after 11am today due to a voltage regulator that “tripped” and burst into flames between Katipunan and Anonas Station, causing train operations to be suspended indefinitely.
LRT-2 spokesperson Hernando Cabrera told Coconuts Manila via text message that “Rectifier no 5 and 6” — essentially the train station’s power transformer or voltage regulator — tripped and caught fire.
“Trip is tech term used in the power sector, also used by Meralco [Manila Electric Company] and other players in the power industry. It is a power glitch, I would say that would result to automatic stoppage of power flow, or fire,” Cabrera said. “As to what caused it, we are still investigating.”
“We stopped full line operations at 11:33am,” he added.
Cabrera noted that there were no reported injury to any passenger or LRTA personnel. He said that the power rectifiers are “not part of the trains. It is an apparatus either under the carriageway or in a separate site near the line.”
You can watch the train station spewing smoke in footage from ABS-CBN News below.
PANOORIN: Sunog sa ilalim ng riles ng LRT-2 Katipunan station sa Quezon City, pasado alas-11 ng umaga, Oktubre 3 (Huwebes) | Bayan Patroller Christopher Lopinac pic.twitter.com/XWxjF865tS
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) October 3, 2019
Cabrera said they are looking into LRT-2 resuming partial operations, but that will depend on the availability of electricity since the power supply in Katipunan station “is damaged.” Operations of other train stations in LRT-2 remain suspended until further notice.
Yesterday morning, LRT-2 also briefly suspended operations at 9:49am, then resumed at 10:19am, citing a temporary glitch.
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