Fire in Penn Station

[ajsbear 11]

NEW YORK -- Thousands of commuters were temporarily stranded Monday night after the ceiling at Manhattan's Penn Station caught fire.

The blaze broke out at the Long Island Rail Road entrance at Seventh Avenue and 34th Street. Fire trucks rushed to the scene, and the streets outside the station soon filled with evacuated commuters.

The fire occurred when sparks from demolition work at one of the station's restaurants landed on the ceiling, causing it to ignite.

The Fire Department of New York said the fire was reported just after 7 p.m. and declared under control by 8:30. No injuries were reported.

LIRR service into and out of Penn Station was temporarily suspended after power was turned off on two of the tracks. Approximately 12,000 commuters were inconvenienced, according to the LIRR.

To accommodate the crowds, New York City Transit honored LIRR tickets on the subway at Penn Station.

© 2005 by WNBC.com The Associated Press contributed to this report.