Hundreds of West Farms residents have lost power in their homes since Monday night after several manhole fires broke out in the area. The temperature was so high that some were forced to leave their hot homes.
FDNY told News 12 that it responded to multiple manhole fires on East 179th Street around 9:20 p.m. There were also reports of an explosion being heard in the area around midnight. It’s unclear if the sound of the explosion is related to the power outage.
Some people in the neighborhood say they started experiencing power failures just before midnight. They say no power all night meant they had trouble sleeping in the heat.
Con Edison has asked residents of the Southwest Bronx to limit their energy use while crews work on repairs. This includes limiting the use of appliances such as washers, dryers and multiple AC units.
Con Edison asked people east of Brooklyn to conserve energy while the crew repaired equipment.
Con Edison did not have an estimate as to when service would be restored as of noon.