Transformer fire cuts power to Riverdale shopping strip for over a week
Sept 2025Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- West 235th Street, Central Riverdale, New York City
- Operator
- Con Edison
- What
- Transformer fire knocked out power to shopping centre
- Cause
- Unclear
- Outcome
- Power out for more than a week; supermarket lost over 2 million dollars
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Con Edison
What happened
A transformer fire occurred on the night of 2 September 2025 on West 235th Street in Central Riverdale, New York City, knocking out electricity to a shopping centre between Johnson and Oxford avenues. Businesses including a pharmacy, a supermarket, a dry cleaner and a wine shop lost power for more than a week. Some stores closed entirely, while others used generators or improvised power sources, such as one owner running lines from his car, to stay open.
The supermarket estimated food spoilage losses of more than 2 million dollars. Con Edison said the cause of the fire remained unclear and that equipment inside the building housing the shopping complex was damaged. The utility said power could only be restored once the landlord arranged repairs to damaged equipment on his property and an upgrade from two to four service lines, as the previous system was already overcapacity.
Contributing factors
The utility stated the electrical system serving the site was already overcapacity, requiring an upgrade from two to four service lines before power could be restored. The landlord alleged that utility wires caught fire and burned out cables beneath the building, a claim the utility did not confirm.
Lessons learned
- An overcapacity electrical system at a commercial site can turn a transformer fault into an outage lasting more than a week, so the utility should upgrade service lines before faults occur.
- Damage to equipment inside the building housing the shopping complex delayed restoration until the landlord arranged repairs, so owners and utilities should agree clear responsibilities for shared infrastructure.
More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of the transformer fire
- Model and age of the transformer
- Total cost of all business losses
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
