NTSB preliminary report says overhead wire caused DART fire in Dallas

The train fire in July caused 11 people to have minor injuries, and three others were taken to the hospital.

Nearly a month after a Dallas Area Rapid Transit rail line train caught on fire, the National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report on Tuesday afternoon on what sparked it.

According to the NTSB, an overhead wire caused the fire on the Orange Line train.

On July 30, 2025, around 3:33 p.m., DART Train 81 was headed from the Dallas Fort Worth Airport Station to Parker Road Station.

According to the NTSB, the system that provides power to the trains— a traction electrification system and the overhead catenary system—delivered 850 volts directly to power the train.

The NTSB said the catenary wire, a thin copper wire hanging 20 feet above the tracks that feeds