NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 16
Dispatches International
MEXICO CITY
Subway Blaze
Substation fire gnarls commutes for subway users in
North America's largest city. By Jesse Roman
n January 9, a fire at
a substation at the
headquarters of Mexico
City's sprawling subway
system shut down six
main train lines and
gnarled the morning commute for hundreds of thousands of people in North
America's largest city.
A police officer was killed when she
slipped and fell from the subway building during the fire, according to news
reports. Thirty others were hospitalized, mostly from smoke inhalation.
The cause of the fire is still under
investigation, but reports speculated
that either an electrical failure at the
O
substation or an oil spill may have
sparked it. The blaze, which produced
billowing smoke across the city of
nearly 9 million, was finally brought
under control almost 12 hours after
it started. The newspaper Milenio
reported that it could take up to three
months to repair the damaged subway
lines, which are among the busiest in
the entire system.
" This incident has frustrated
commuters and is raising important questions about necessary
maintenance and upgrades, " said
Jaime Gutierrez, NFPA's International development director for Latin
America. " Given that I am charged
with advancing government responsibility, fire and life safety infrastructure,
code compliance, and emergency
response strategies in Mexico City, I,
too, have a lot of questions including
the obvious one: 'How did this fire
happen?' "
NFPA research shows that fire
departments in the United States
responded to an estimated 1,100 fires
per year in or at rapid transit stations
between 2014-2018. Since 1983, NFPA
has produced NFPA 130, Standard for
Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger
Rail Systems, which helps jurisdictions address design, maintenance,
and safety requirements. Officials in
Mexico believe that deferred maintenance may have played a role in
January's fire.
In a television interview, a former
director of the Metro told Mexico
News Daily that the substation was
outdated and in need of repair.
GETT Y IMAGES
In Mexico City, a fire at a substation of the city's vast
subway system killed one person, shut down six train
lines, and resulted in damage that could take months
to repair. Some officials attributed the fire to deferred
maintenance on outdated infrastructure.
16 | NFPA JOURNAL * S P R I N G 2 0 2 1
Dispatches_Spring 2021 SJS APPROVED AS FINAL.indd 16
1/29/21 6:32 PM
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Spring 2021
Contents
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - Cover1
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - Cover2
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 1
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 2
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 3
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - Contents
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 5
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 6
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 7
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 8
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 9
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 10
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 11
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 12
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 13
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 14
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 15
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 16
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 17
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 18
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 19
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 20
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 21
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 22
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 23
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 24
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 25
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 26
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 27
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 28
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 29
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 30
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 31
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 32
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 33
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 34
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 35
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 36
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 37
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 38
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 39
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 40
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 41
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 42
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 43
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 44
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 45
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 46
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 47
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 48
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 49
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 50
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 51
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 52
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 53
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 54
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 55
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 56
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 57
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 58
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 59
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 60
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 61
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 62
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 63
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 64
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 65
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 66
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 67
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 68
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 69
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 70
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 71
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 72
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 73
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 74
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 75
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 76
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 77
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 78
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 79
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - 80
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - Cover3
NFPA Journal - Spring 2021 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2024spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2023spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2022spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021winter
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021fall
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021summer
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_2021spring
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20200102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20191112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20190102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20181112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20180102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20171112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20161112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201610_sprinkler
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20130102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20121112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nfpa/journal_20120304
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com