Fumes Shut Down Subway Station

Authorities evacuated and shut down a Midtown subway station yesterday after fumes from a broken escalator filled the station.

At 10:05 a.m., New York City Transit authorities received reports of an odor at the 53rd Street and Seventh Avenue station, where B, D, and E trains stop. Transit authorities soon closed the station and rerouted B and V trains.

At 11:23, the station was reopened, according to a spokeswoman for the transit authority.

The fumes came from a broken escalator, she said. Authorities did not know what caused the escalator to break and are investigating the matter, she said.

Four people from the station were treated for "minor" ailments, according to the fire department. The department did not identify what had happened to the victims.