Power poles collapse onto cars, spark fire and outages in Coney Island

Updated 43 minutes ago
CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Two utility poles collapsed onto parked cars in Coney Island on Wednesday morning, sparking a fire, crushing multiple vehicles and leaving hundreds of customers without power.

The incident happened shortly after 7 a.m. near West 36th Street and Surf Avenue. Video from the scene showed thick smoke billowing into the air as firefighters battled flames that erupted after the poles came crashing down.

One fallen pole landed on top of a vehicle, crushing cars beneath it, while a transformer was seen resting on another parked car farther down West 36th Street. Several vehicles caught fire in the immediate aftermath of the collapse.

No injuries were reported. However, the outage left hundreds of residents without electricity as temperatures climbed and windy conditions persisted across the area.

It remains unclear what caused the poles to fall. Con Edison crews responded to the scene, and a portion of West 36th Street remained closed as crews worked to make repairs and investigate the incident.



As of Wednesday morning, Con Edison had 299 customers still without power. They hoped to have the rest restored by noon. Power was restored to a critical care facility and a school by 9:30 a.m.

The NYPD said four vehicles were damaged and one exploded, resulting in property damage.

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