Screenshot via Citizen
Jan. 29, 2019 By Meghan Sackman
A manhole fire destroyed electrical equipment in Flushing last night leaving hundreds of surrounding residents without power, according to authorities.
According to the FDNY, a call came in around 10:33 p.m. on Jan. 28 regarding a fire at 42-49 Colden St, a large 15-story apartment building.
Originally labeled a transformer fire by FDNY, responders discovered onsite that the fire was actually engulfing Con Edison equipment that caught fire in the building’s manhole.
The FDNY said 12 units with 60 firefighters, along with EMS personnel, were sent to the scene of the fire, which was under control by 1:46 a.m. There were no injuries as a result of the fire.
The building, however, was evacuated after firefighters found high levels of carbon monoxide.
Con Edison also responded to the incident by shutting off the power to the affected building as well as two other complexes at 42-55 and 42-60 Colden St., leaving 560 apartments without power.
By 6:45 a.m. Con Edison was able to bring power back to the three buildings, with a generator providing power to 42-49 Colden St.
“We made some repairs to our system but there’s still work to be done,” a Con Edison representative said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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