'Explosion' on train tracks at Charing Cross station Passenger Eileen Harris, 60, said they thought a bomb had exploded and described the panic as they tried to escape the thick smoke. She said: "Suddenly the doors burst open and a woman ran through shouting there's a bomb on the train, everybody get off. We ran away towards the opposite end of the station because I thought that if there was a bomb, they'd probably take out the concourse. But the staff kept saying to us come back in and we really didn't want to come back through the station, because by then there was thick smoke. There were big bangs and pops and flashes. And the smoke, the smoke was the worst thing. Her son Daniel., 26, added: "There was fire and lots of thick smoke, so we assumed that there was a bomb ripping through the train. People were running through the train, and my first thought was the reason they're running down the train is because they can't get off. No-one really knew what was going on. Passengers just feet from the fireball at Charing Cross (vincenzo_minore/Twitter) Vincenzo Minore, CEO of cosmetics brand Soap & Glory, published pictures with the caption "run, run run." He told the Telegraph he had been sitting on the train with his wife, grandparents and two children aged 15 and 12 when they heard a loud blast. "It was a sudden bang and we saw a lot of light followed by a constant noise," he said. No one understood what was going on and there was panic. People were scared. It was the part of the train nearest the platform. Most people running off the train and away from the fire ran in the wrong direction so they were ushered back and had to pass the fire to get outside. It was a bit scary as you don't know whether it will explode. Mr Minore was at the back of the train and one of the last to leave aside from a few elderly passengers who were being helped by police. British Transport Police said it was an electrical fire caused by a defective part of track. One passenger had a panic attack and was one of two people treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service but no one was taken to hospital. Insp Andy Hubbard from British Transport Police said: "It appears there was a defect with the ceramic pots beneath the track, which caused the electrics to short. We're ruling out anything criminal or terrorist-related as the cause. The station reopened at 1.15pm. A statement posted on National Rail's website said: "A fire at London Charing Cross is causing disruption to journeys between London Charing Cross / London Blackfriars and London Bridge. Because of congestion caused by trains being diverted, Thameslink trains will not call at stations between London Blackfriars and East Croydon. Trains are currently unable to run to and from London Charing Cross. Some services will be diverted to start / terminate at London Victoria or London Bridge. Passengers travelling further south than Orpington please travel from London Victoria. Passengers travelling towards Dartford and Hayes please travel from London Bridge. A LFS spokeswoman said: "It was a small fire involving around five per cent of the front carriage on Platform 6 and a section of track." She said she did not yet know the cause of the fire. It is not known whether anyone was on board during the incident.