Major delays were caused on BART on Monday afternoon after dark smoke billowed from a Richmond-bound train near MacArthur Station, but one passenger on board said that no one from BART told anyone on her car what was happening or even told them to evacuate.  

Mariam Ghvamichava, a law student who was heading home to Berkeley on the train, evacuated the packed train along with dozens of other people around 2:30 p.m. after a passenger opened an emergency door, she said.  

Continue reading for free

Sign in to read this story and receive the weekly roundup in your inbox.

Or

Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in.
Please visit My Account to manage your account.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.