Crown Heights Grid Meltdown: Fires, Outages, and Sweltering Heat Paralyze the Neighborhood
From Union Street to Empire Boulevard, Families Left Without Electricity for Hours in Record Heat; Emergency Crews and Firefighters Struggle to Contain Fires and Repair a Grid on the Verge of Collapse • Full Story, Photos
By Chabadinfo Reporter
As a result of the malfunction, the power supply has been unstable over the past 24 hours, causing repeated outages in the women’s section of 770, in the Tzivos Hashem Children’s Museum, and in numerous stores along Kingston Avenue. Additionally, many of the traffic lights throughout the neighborhood are currently out of service
Residents across large areas—from Union Street down to Empire Boulevard—lost power yesterday for many hours. Some homes had electricity restored by the middle of the night, others only this morning, and some still remain without power altogether.
The timing could not have been worse: yesterday temperatures soared past 100°F with intense humidity. Locals reported that without air conditioning, their homes heated up alarmingly fast, in some cases reaching 150°F indoors.
Despite the oppressive conditions, a bris was performed on President Street in the sweltering heat.
This morning, reports came in of a fire in the rear basement area of 770 itself.
Emergency Con Edison crews are still working throughout the neighborhood to restore electricity. Witnesses saw them operating alongside FDNY trucks pumping water with fire hoses into underground utility vaults.
While the situation reached a crisis point now, residents note this is not a new problem. For several summers in a row, the power grid has shown signs of strain, with frequent voltage drops and occasional small fires. Many in the community are voicing frustration that the city appears to be applying temporary fixes instead of truly upgrading the infrastructure.
“It feels like they’re just putting bandages on the wound,” one Kingston Avenue storeowner commented, “instead of solving the real issue once and for all.”
Crown Heights Chaverim stepped in to distribute multiple generators to homes that lost power, ensuring that residents who rely on critical medical equipment could continue to use their machines safely during the blackout.
This morning at 770:
68
Join ChabadInfo's News Roundup and alerts for the HOTTEST Chabad news and updates!
Related Posts:
Most Popular
New Videos
Editor's Picks
