IRVINE – Fire and smoke in the engine compartment of a Metrolink commuter train forced it to stop Thursday morning, officials said, affecting all Orange County and Inland Empire-Orange County lines.

The train was evacuated behind a La Quinta Inn and Suites while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, said Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The fire was reported at 8:51 a.m. near Sand Canyon Avenue and Burt Road. The caller reported seeing smoke on the 811 Metrolink train, Concialdi said. The fire was extinguished just after 10 a.m., and the train was then removed from the tracks.

Firefighters used five dry-chemical extinguishers to put the flames out, Concialdi said, because the fire was electrical.

OCFA firefighters and officers from multiple agencies responded to help evacuate the train, including Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Irvine police and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Power was cut to the train, and the 56 passengers and three crew members aboard were taken by Orange County Transportation Authority buses to the Irvine station, Concialdi said.

Three passengers were in wheelchairs, and officials worked to carry them out of the the train and across the gravel and rocks surrounding the tracks, he said.

The fire was found in the engine compartment of the train, Concialdi said.

No injuries were reported, he said.

Before they were evacuated, the train’s passengers were moved to the front two cars as a precaution against the fire in the locomotive, which was located to the rear. There was no danger to passengers, Metrolink spokesman Jeff Lustgarten said, and buses arrived around 10 a.m. for passengers.

According to Metrolink’s schedule, train 811 heads out of downtown Riverside at 7:25 a.m. and makes stops along Corona, Anaheim Canyon, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Irvine. It was scheduled to arrive at the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo by 8:50 a.m.

Commuters along those stations reported stopped trains there as well. Train 802 on the Inland Empire-Orange County line was canceled and some others experienced delays, Lustgarten said.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3788 or shernandez@ocregister.com