This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Please enable Javascript to watch this video







Witnesses say this woman is a hero for prying trolley doors apart









Close Modal Suggest a Correction Suggest a Correction

(Memphis) Seven people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after a MATA trolley caught fire Monday morning around 10:30. Trolley #452 was near Madison and I-240 when the fire started. Witnesses pointed towards one woman, calling her a hero for prying the trolley doors open so they could escape. According to MATA, "The trolley operator and passengers confirmed hearing a loud pop in the trolley operator’s area of the trolley and smoke entered the trolley immediately." The rail line on Madison Avenue will be suspended until Thursday and replaced with bus service. The Main Street and Riverfront lines will remain in service. MATA says the trolley, "was originally built in 1927 by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board and is one of 752 that was built between 1923- 1956. MATA purchased Trolley 452 in 1997 from the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. The streetcar was refurbished in 2004 by GOMACO and the cost was $567,899. Federal funds covered 80% of the restoration."