Due to smoke inside the station, the Gallery Place-Chinatown station is currently closed. Shuttle bus service has been requested. D.C. Fire and EMS reports that the smoke is located in the “track area,” and Metro says that they are looking into the problem. Red Line trains are currently running between Shady Grove and Farragut North and Judiciary Square and Glenmont. Now, D.C. Fire and EMS has tweeted that the fire at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station is “under control,” but the Metro Center station has also been evacuated and appears to be temporarily shut down. It appears as if the only line affected by these closures is the Red Line — all other lines are operating as usual. 7th Street NW has also been closed from G to F Streets. Metro’s shuttle buses are going to be very full, so expect long waits if you’re trying to grab one.

Jeff Sonderman reports that Metro officials have said that both stations should be opening “in minutes.” And indeed, both have now reopened. WMATA has confirmed that the issue was “smoking debris in a vent shaft along the Red Line.”

UPDATE: We are also keeping our eye on a bus accident at 14th Street and Madison Street NW, in which a Metrobus reportedly collided with a fire engine. Twelve people are being evaluated for injuries on the scene. D.C. Fire and EMS reports that none of the injuries are serious.

How can these stories get any crazier? How about this: the Post’s Michael Bolden reports that the accident occurred when fire officials were responding to the scene where a pedestrian had been hit by a car. Sounds like the two vehicles collided as the fire engine was making its way to 13th and Madison Streets where the accident occurred. In total, 22 people were sent to the hospital from the scene, including the pedestrian, who suffered non-life threatening injuries. Both vehicles suffered moderate damage.