Transformer explosion causes outage in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn
Feb 2019Published 18 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Dyker Heights, Brooklyn on 28 February 2019
- Operator
- Con Edison
- What
- Transformer explosion and fallen power line
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Under investigation
Get the next one by email
Free alerts on grid infrastructure incidents in the United States, and an email when EIR-1065 is updated. No account needed; unsubscribe in one click.
Confirm your email and every substation and transformer incident on the register arrives at once as a spreadsheet (CSV), free.
Get a free sample brief Three complete verified records and the incidents-per-GW table, by email within a minute.
We will also email you about the register's paid records and plans, at most once a week and three times in all. You can stop these at any time. By signing up you agree to the privacy policy.
Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Con Edison
What happened
A transformer explosion caused a power outage in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, on 28 February 2019. Firefighters responded just after 8 p.m. on 86th Street and 10th Avenue. A power line gave way from a pole and fell to the pavement. The report's voltage figure for that line is unclear as written. Over 1,200 customers in the immediate area lost power, which was later restored. The outage boundaries were reported as 80th to 86th Streets between 7th Avenue and 12th Avenue. Con Edison was investigating the cause. No injuries were reported.
Contributing factors
The cause was not reported. Con Edison was investigating.
Lessons learned
- After a transformer explosion an overhead line can detach and fall, so operators must check pole attachments and mechanical fixings during maintenance.
- Fire crews attend transformer events at street level, therefore operators should supply clear isolation points and voltage data on arrival.
More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, fire suppression and firefighting, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of the transformer explosion
- Voltage of the fallen line
- Duration of the outage for all customers
- Cost of repairs and replacement
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Brooklyn
- Contractor strikes high-voltage line, sparking transformer fire in Downtown Brooklyn
- Explosion at ageing Brooklyn substation strands New York City Subway riders
- Vinegar Hill substation flash causes brief Brooklyn outage
- Transformer vault fire prompts evacuations in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
- Underground transformer fire causes smoke on Argyle Road, Brooklyn
Published 2026-09-18. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
