Tag Archives: manhole fire

Con Edison making repairs after manhole fires

Con Ed made repairs on Third Avenue following manhole fires on East 19th Street earlier this month. (Photos by Maria Rocha-Buschel)

By Maria Rocha-Buschel

Con Edison is making repairs on East 19th Street after a manhole fire in front of 151 East 19th Street on August 8 caused damage to the underground electrical system.

A resident of 201 East 19th Street resident told Town & Village this week that it sounded like an explosion on the street, along with black smoke and a power outage across the street from her apartment. She said that she didn’t lose power in her apartment, but noted that the lights did flicker.

Con Ed spokesperson Sidney Alvarez said that loss of power or damage to the underground equipment can sometimes create a loud clang but the incident was a manhole fire on the street and not an explosion.

“Sometimes this [kind of incident] could sound like an explosion and there could have been a lot of smoke that could look very severe to the general public,” Alvarez said. “We responded to multiple manhole fires at that location and there were no injuries reported and no property damage.”

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Power out at 2 Peter Cooper buildings on Tuesday

By Maria Rocha-Buschel
Residents of 370 First Avenue and 2 Peter Cooper Road noticed on Tuesday morning that the power in their building was out. Gothamist reported that a manhole fire occurred at 4:52 a.m. on Tuesday at 370 First Avenue and Con Edison confirmed that there was an issue in that building concerning a cable box but noted that the incident was internal, so the utility was unable to provide any more information about the fire.
A representative for Con Edison noted that there wasn’t any more information publicly available because the incident occurred between the meter and the home, where the responsibility of resolving the problem falls to the owner.
In a notice to residents on Tuesday, management said that power was cut at both 370 First Avenue and 2 Peter Cooper Road, including elevator service, so that the problem could be assessed and damage could be repaired.
The power shutdown was not expected to affect the water supply to the building but the notice said that there would be an interruption of the heat.
Management did not respond to a request for comment about the incident, but a spokesperson for Con Edison told Town & Village on Tuesday that the problem was expected to be resolved by the end of the day.