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Smoke From Blue Line Train Creates Scare For Riders

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Smoke from brakes on a CTA train created a bit of a panic for passengers on the Blue Line on Wednesday.

Firefighters were called to 2620 N. Spaulding Ave., according to unconfirmed dispatch reports, which said there was a brake fire on a train, causing the smoke.

Tonya Sanchez had just boarded the Blue Line in Logan Square when smoke started to fill the train car.

She tells WBBM Newsradio that authorities ordered an evacuation that was smooth and chaotic at the same time.

"People were panicking, of course," she said. "They were yelling, 'Get off the train, get off the train!' But it was smooth in the sense that they told you what you too. But it was chaos, everybody was trying to push through the doors to get out."

CTA spokeswoman Lambrini Lukidis said CTA crews removed power to the Blue Line between the Jefferson Park and California stations. Passengers who were on the BLue Line at Logan Square were able to get off at the platform.

Bus shuttles were taking passengers between the two stations as of about noon, she said.

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