An FDNY spokesperson told amNewYork that the fire was sparked by garbage on the track.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been attempting to clear the amount of trash on subway tracks since last August by increasing the number of track cleanings. The MTA also ordered three vacuum trains designed to collect and clear garbage.
The first two vacuum trains are set to arrive this year, according to a 2016 press release. The MTA did not immediately return Business Insider's request for comment.
But the track fire highlights the general fragility of New York's aging subway system as disruptions pile up.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared the MTA was in a state of emergency in June. As a result, MTA chairman Joseph Lhota has until the end of August to assess capital needs for cars, tracks, and signals. Cuomo also said he would add $1 billion to the MTA capital plan.
Related: Look back at another recent issue with the subway system:
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Subway train derails in upper Manhattan
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Subway train derails in upper Manhattan
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: A Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker enters a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
MTA workers work to repair the tracks following yesterday's train derailment at 125th Street Subway Station in Harlem on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (Photo by Anthony DelMundo/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, June 27, 2017 -- A staff member of Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) stands guard at the entrance of 125 Street Station in Harlem, New York, the United States on June 27, 2017. At least 34 people were injured from a subway derailment in upper Manhattan of New York city Tuesday morning, fire officials said. (Xinhua/Yang Shilong via Getty Images)
MTA workers work to repair the tracks following yesterday's train derailment at 125th Street Subway Station in Harlem on Wednesday, June 28, 2017. (Photo by Anthony DelMundo/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, June 27, 2017 -- Rescuers stand by near the site of a subway derailment in Harlem, New York, the United States, on June 27, 2017. At least 34 people were injured from a subway derailment in upper Manhattan of New York City Tuesday morning, fire officials said. (Xinhua/Xu Keshuang via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: An Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker grabs a glove while entering a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers stand outside of a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: Firefighters walk near a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: Firefighters walk near a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: Firefighters walk near a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: An Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker stands near a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 27: A Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) worker enters a Harlem subway station where a morning train derailment occurred on June 27, 2017 in New York City. Thirty-four people suffered minor injuries in the subway derailment which causes major delays throughout the morning and afternoon. This is the latest incident for the MTA, the largest subway system in the country, and has city officials scrambling to make repairs and updates to the aging system. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
