It all started at 71st Street and Broadway around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The neighborhood was choked with thick, black smoke.
[Ads /]
Con Edison along with the FDNY remain on the scene. They are working to isolate the burning cables and shut them off, but it is a slow process.
It wasn't until after 10 p.m. that the FDNY declared the situation under control. Now a long repair job awaits.
Broadway is shutdown between 70th and 72nd street.
[Ads /]
There currently more than 600 customers without power and Con Ed estimates some 40 buildings/brownstones are affected. Some buildings had power, but their elevators wouldn't work.
It's not yet known when power will be restored.
Eyewitness News Reporter Josh Einiger is on the scene:
Con Ed reports that the heat was the probable cause of the cable fires.