Transformer fire leaves some Morris Park residents in the dark; Con Ed working to restore power
MORRIS PARK, The Bronx (WABC) -- Con Edison crews are working to restore power for some residents in the Bronx, who have been left in the dark with no air conditioning after a transformer blew Wednesday night.
With the heat wave almost at the point where it's about to break, a transformer on Eastchester Road in Morris Park reached its breaking point.
Residents first heard a crackling sound around 5:45 p.m., and then the power went out.
"All of a sudden it just popped. Like a big boom," said resident Victor Vila, who lost power. "It caught on fire, and bits of wire and stuff like that, flaming. And it fell on two cars."
Suddenly, 71 families in a seven-story apartment building were left in hot darkness.
"It's totally pitch dark inside," said resident Sara Nathan. "It's like a complete blackout. There's no water. There's no electricity."
But there is work being done.
Con Ed crews quickly responded to remove the blown transformer, replace the burned pole and reassure rattled residents.
"I was definitely worried. That could easily transfer into the building," Vila said.
The blistering heat has had Con Ed busy repairing mostly minor outages around its service area and providing dry ice where there have been bigger outages, like one in East Flatbush Wednesday night, impacting a few thousand people.
That could have come in handy in Morris Park.
"It's summer. It's so hot," Nathan said. "So, already we see water is dripping out of our refrigerator and freezer."
The outage is limited to the seven-story building, some traffic lights and a few small homes and businesses, just missing the 49th precinct station house across the street, and Jacobi Hospital just behind it.
The work is expected to be completed overnight.
"We have crews on location working around the clock in the extreme heat and humidity to replace the transformer. The Estimated Time of Restoration is currently early morning hours but subject to change," Con Edison said in a statement.
"A lot of the families have small toddlers and kids," Nathan said. "I don't know how they're going to manage tonight."
That outage in Brooklyn is also expected to be restored overnight.
Con Ed continues to use voltage reductions in several areas and ask customers to conserve to avoid dangerous strains on the system, with just one more night left in this heat wave.
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