A transformer fire caused a large-scale power outage in parts of New York City Saturday evening, knocking out traffic lights, stalling elevators and limiting subway service.
As of 9 p.m. Saturday, Con Edison reported that nearly 46,000 customers were without power in an area that included Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side. The New York Fire Department said the outages impacted an area from 71st Street south to 42nd Street and east from the West Side Highway to 5th Avenue.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said late Saturday that Con Ed was hoping to begin restoring power to affected customers by midnight.
“While fortunately no injuries occurred as a result of this incident, the fact that it happened at all is unacceptable,” Cuomo said. “I am directing the Department of Public Service to investigate and identify the exact cause of the outages to help prevent an incident of this magnitude from happening again. Until the recovery is complete, we will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure the safety and security of New Yorkers.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) tweeted Saturday evening that signals on the A, B, C, D, E, F, and M subway lines were affected and four stations were closed to the public due to lack of power: 59th St-Columbus Circle, 47-50th Sts-Rockefeller Ctr, 34th St-Hudson Yards, and 5th Av/53rd St.
Some service had been restored in Queens.
We are working to restore power to 42,000 customers primarily in the Westside of Manhattan. We will provide updates as we receive them. Thank you.
— Con Edison (@ConEdison) July 14, 2019
