Fire breaks out near NYC's Penn Station

NEW YORK - Commuters on Tuesday experienced some delays following an early morning fire near Penn Station.

Some LIRR trains were diverted to Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn or Hunters Point Avenue in Queens, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said. A few trains also were canceled at Jamaica Terminal in Queens.

NYC Transit cross-honored LIRR fares on four lines, the 2, 3, 7 and E.

LIRR spokesman Sal Arena said there was no damage to platform and track areas. Normal rail service was expected later Tuesday and no problems were anticipated for the evening rush.

Three subway lines, the A, E and C, which had been bypassing Penn Station, resumed running through the area at 5:38 a.m. with residual delays.

The fire broke out at 2:22 a.m. in an underground construction site in the west end concourse, two floors below ground, at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue. It was under control at 5:22 a.m.

Hours later, smoke still permeated the area around the rail hub located near Madison Square Garden and the James Farley Post Office building.

Carolyn Greenblatt, 24, said she would be late to her job at a VA medical center because her 8:09 train to St. Albans was canceled.

"There's still a train, I'll just have to take a later one," she said.

The FDNY tweeted late Tuesday that the cause was most likely "accidental-electrical."