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27,000 Customers Lose Power as Electrical Failure Hits Manhattan’s Upper West Side Power Outage on Manhattan’s West Side Affects 42,000 Customers
(32 minutes later)
The New York Fire Department said it was responding to reports of people stuck in elevators as a power failure hit the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Saturday evening, according to the authorities and social media reports. A power failure struck the West Side of Manhattan on Saturday evening, plunging subway stations into darkness, stalling trains, stranding people in elevators and for a time leaving parts of Times Square without its customary bright lights.
Con Edison’s website showed about 27,000 customers were without power as of 7:30 p.m. Con Edison said that about 42,000 customers were without power, mainly on the West Side. The Fire Department said the failures stretched from 72nd Street to the West 40s, and from Fifth Avenue to the Hudson River.
It was not immediately clear how widespread the power failure was but social media reports showed multiple subway stations shrouded in darkness. “Unfortunately, we do not have an estimated restoration at this time,” Con Edison said. “Our crews are working as quickly and safely as they can to restore service.”
The reports appeared to show most of the problems occurring on the Upper West Side between 50th and 70th Streets. The utility Con Edison showed reports of multiple failures in that area, with some reports extending as far east as Fifth Avenue. The New York City Council speaker, Corey Johnson, said on Twitter that there had been a “major disturbance” at Con Edison’s 49th Street substation, and that the utility was working to fix it. He said the A, C, F, D and M subway lines were affected.
“We’re getting reports of power outages in station complexes throughout Manhattan,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Twitter. “We’re working to identify causes and keep trains moving.” The Fire Department said it was responding to a transformer fire at West 64th Street and West End Avenue. There was also “smoke in multiple buildings” on the West Side, the department said, and it was responding to “numerous” reports of people stuck in elevators. It did not say whether the fire was connected to the cause of the failure.
The New York City Subway system on Twitter said it was working with Con Edison “to determine the root cause of the ongoing power failure, which is affecting Midtown and the Upper West Side.” The crowds were larger than usual in Times Square, where buildings were dark on Saturday even after the famed billboards turned back on. The Broadway League, a trade association for producers, said the power failure was affecting several theaters, causing delays in admissions.
The Fire Department said it was responding to a transformer fire and “smoke in multiple buildings” on the West Side but could not immediately provide a specific location or whether the transformer fire was connected to the cause of the power failure.
Images on Twitter showed darkened subway stations and inoperable traffic lights.Images on Twitter showed darkened subway stations and inoperable traffic lights.
Fadela Elferdaousy, 42, of Queens, was stranded at the Columbus Circle subway station. She had planned to take the train home when the power outage occurred. “We’re getting reports of power outages in station complexes throughout Manhattan,” the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Twitter. “We’re working to identify causes and keep trains moving.”
Fadela Elferdaousy, 42, of Queens, was stranded at the Columbus Circle subway station. She had planned to take the A train home when the power outage occurred.
“I saw all these crowds,” Ms. Elferdaousy said. “I was wondering what was going on.”“I saw all these crowds,” Ms. Elferdaousy said. “I was wondering what was going on.”
At first she thought something happened at Trump International Hotel and Tower, she said.At first she thought something happened at Trump International Hotel and Tower, she said.
Police officers waved people out of the Columbus Circle subway station around 7:30 p.m. The Shops at Columbus Circle was evacuated shortly after.Police officers waved people out of the Columbus Circle subway station around 7:30 p.m. The Shops at Columbus Circle was evacuated shortly after.
The Fire Department said it was responding to “numerous” reports of people stuck in elevators but it referred questions about any potential loss of power to Con Edison. Police officers and civilians worked together to direct traffic while fire trucks and ambulances screamed down side streets. Two young women posed for a selfie in the middle of 46th Street before an officer rushed over and chastised them, saying, “Ladies, this is not the time.”
Con Edison did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Freddi Goldstein, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was campaigning in Iowa for president, said the mayor had been briefed on the blackout and that the Office of Emergency Management was responding.
The failure comes on the 42nd anniversary of the 1977 power failure that plunged the New York skyline into darkness, triggering widespread looting and arson. That blackout caused an estimated $310 million in damages and was sparked by lightning strikes in Westchester County.The failure comes on the 42nd anniversary of the 1977 power failure that plunged the New York skyline into darkness, triggering widespread looting and arson. That blackout caused an estimated $310 million in damages and was sparked by lightning strikes in Westchester County.