Passengers evacuated after fire on Amtrak train at Mitchell Airport

MILWAUKEE -- Passengers on board an Amtrak train were evacuated Tuesday evening, Oct. 30 at Mitchell International Airport as a result of a fire.

Amtrak officials said around 7:10 p.m., the battery box on the Amtrak Hiawatha #339 from Chicago to Milwaukee carrying 210 passengers caught on fire. No one was hurt.

An airport spokesman said the airport fire department was responding.

A passenger who was on the train told a FOX6 News crew on scene passengers in a forward car smelled smoke, and the conductor ordered that car be evacuated. Eventually, everyone else was removed from the train.

The passenger said the evacuations were orderly, and most passengers were finding another way home.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Amtrak officials said Hiawatha #341 and #342 were expected to experience delays as a result of this incident.