Hundreds of commuters were late for work Friday after an overnight blaze shut down a major part of Toronto's subway system.

The fire broke out in a garbage collecting train at the Old Mill subway station, in Toronto's west end at about 2 a.m. ET. The fire was so intense that the heat welded the train to the tracks.

The fire forced the Toronto Transit Commission to close eight subway stations -- Kipling, Islington, Royal York, Old Mill, Jane, Runnymede, High Park and Keele. It snarled morning rush hour and left hundreds of thousands of commuters without a way to get to work Friday morning.

Bloor-Danforth subway will be closed Friday between Kipling and Dundas West stations. The TTC is advising Toronto commuters whom normally use Bloor-Danforth to go directly to Dundas West Station.

The TTC said it isn't sure when the Bloor-Danforth section will resume normal service, however, it could be until Monday.

The Yonge-University-Spadina subway, which runs north and south to and from downtown Toronto, is in full operation.

A TTC spokesperson said they will have to cut the train up into smaller pieces before it can be removed.