The State : BART Cars Fire-Proofed

Officials of San Francisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit District announced that all BART cars in regular service have been refurbished with fire-resistant walls, floors, seats and ceilings to make them “the most fire-safe transit vehicles in service in the nation.” BART Safety Department Manager Ralph Weule said the $21-million “fire-hardening” program began when all car seats were replaced with fire-retardant cushions. Smoke from burning seats was blamed for the death of one person and injuries to 40 others in a fire that broke out in a BART train in the tube beneath San Francisco Bay seven years ago.