Man in custody after setting belongings, himself on CTA Blue Line train at Damen stop, CPD says
A man is in custody after setting his belongings and himself on fire while on a CTA Blue Line train at the Damen stop Friday morning, Chicago police said.
The Chicago Fire Department said it responded just after 6 a.m. for a man who set himself on fire outside the Damen stop.
Chicago police said the 52-year-old man was on a moving train when he intentionally set a small fire using his personal belongings. The fire also caused the man to catch fire, causing burns to his leg, CPD said.
The fire was put out. CFD said the man was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, but CPD said he was in good condition.
Both the Chicago Police Department's arson unit and the ATF responded to the scene as well, and the man was taken into custody by the ATF.
No charges have yet been announced. CBS News Chicago has reached out to the ATF for more information and to find out if any charges are pending.
CTA alerted for significant delays on the Blue Line due to the fire department activity, and said that for several hours trains were single-tracking between Western and Damen on the O'Hare branch of the line.
By 9:15 a.m., Forest Park-bound Blue Line trains were running with minor delays, and normal service was resuming.