An investigation was underway on Sunday after a passenger train was engulfed in a large fire while stopped at a station on the outskirts of Berlin overnight. Five passengers still on board had to exit the train, but were unhurt.

Firefighters were initially unable to say where or why Saturday night’s fire broke out at the diesel train.

What do we know about the fire?

Firefighters were called to the Ahrensfelde station on the border between Berlin and Brandenburg after the alarm was raised at around 21:50 local time.

The three-car train was due to start its next journey to the town of Werneuchen when the train driver heard a bang.

Smoke and flames were seen, prompting the driver and a female attendant to evacuate the train’s five passengers.

The fire department extinguished the flames — which by then had engulfed all three cars — and no one was injured, a spokesman said. The train suffered major damage.

A spokeswoman for German train operator Deutsche Bahn said the train was operated by private company Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB).

NEB, which runs the RB25 line between Berlin-Ostkreuz and Werneuchen, did not initially comment.

The station was closed between 10pm and 12.30am amid the fire-fighting operation, before other lines opened to allow rail traffic to resume.

Germany’s Federal Police, whose responsibilities include the rail network, also said the cause of the fire was unknown and that the preliminary investigation had yielded no clues.

The Federal Bureau of Railroad Accident Investigation is to examine the train before it can be transported.

rc/msh (AFP, dpa)