The massive transit system in the nation's capital will shutter all day Wednesday and won't reopen until 5 a.m. Thursday so safety officials can inspect equipment, Metro officials said.

Metro CEO and General Manager Paul Wiedefeld, barely into his fourth month on the job, said he understood the hardship the closure would cause for the region's commuters, but a fire Monday near the McPherson Square station raised broad concerns about the system's safety, USA Today reported.

Metrorail's six lines and 91 stations carry more than 700,000 passengers on an average weekday.

"While the risk to the public is very low, I cannot rule out a potential life-safety issue here," Wiedefeld said. "When I say safety is the highest priority, I mean it."

The conditions that led to the fire Monday near McPherson Square appear similar to the fire that ignited at the L'Enfant Plaza station in January 2015. That fire killed one passenger and injured 86 others.

Source : MENA