Con Edison substation fire at West 64th Street triggers Manhattan blackout
July 2019Published 18 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Substation near West 64th Street and West End Avenue, Manhattan
- Operator
- Con Edison
- What
- Fire and equipment failure caused blackout for 73,000 customers
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Equipment failure at substation
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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 fire and equipment failure at a Con Edison substation caused a widespread power outage across parts of Manhattan on the evening of 13 July 2019. The blackout affected around 73,000 customers from 71st Street south to 42nd Street and from the West Side Highway to Fifth Avenue. Traffic lights failed, subway signals and several stations lost power, people were trapped in stalled lifts and subway trains, and Madison Square Garden was evacuated during a concert.
Multiple Broadway theatres also lost power and cancelled performances. Fire crews responded to a fire reported near West 64th Street and West End Avenue, although the fire service did not say whether this was the source of the outage. City officials said police confirmed there was no foul play and described it as a mechanical issue. Power was fully restored to all affected customers by around midnight. No injuries were reported.
Contributing factors
Con Edison described the cause as equipment failure at one of its substations, with the specific location not confirmed at the time. A city council speaker said Con Edison had reported a major disturbance at a substation on West 49th Street. The utility's chief executive stated the outage was not caused by excessive electricity demand, as the day was warm but not unusually hot for July.
Lessons learned
- Substation equipment failure on a non-peak day can trigger urban blackouts that strand people in lifts and trains, so operators must maintain backup power for traffic and transit signals.
- Fire at a city substation can affect multiple venues and stations within hours, so contingency plans should cover rapid evacuation of theatres and concert halls.
- Equipment failure at one substation can cut supply to 73,000 customers until midnight, so spare capacity and fast isolation procedures are essential in dense urban grids.
More lessons on outages, backup supply and restoration, emergency response and public communication, worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact substation location and equipment that failed
- Model and age of the failed substation equipment
- Cost of damage and customer compensation
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
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Published 2026-09-18. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
