Heart of New York goes dark as fire causes blackout in Manhattan

Authorities were scrambling to restore electricity to Manhattan following a power outage that knocked out Times Square’s towering electronic screens, darkened marquees in the theatre district and left businesses without electricity, elevators stuck and subway cars stalled.’

The New York City Fire Department said a transformer fire Saturday evening at West 64th Street and West End Avenue affected more than 73,000 customers along a 30-block stretch from Times Square to about 72nd Street and Broadway.
 

Citizens taking initiative to regulate the street traffic, as traffic lights, #transportation, #business services and some of critical #infrastructure are affected #poweroutagenyc #blackoutnyc ??? pic.twitter.com/saBHNLgCFw

— Elena Kvochko (@ekvochko) July 14, 2019

Officials with Con Edison said electricity should be fully restored to customers who were affected by the outage by midnight.

At the Rockefeller Center, traffic lights were out. Some buildings in in its plaza had lights on, others were in the dark.

Many Broadway musicals and plays cancelled their Saturday evening shows, including Hadestown, which last month won the Tony Award for best musical. Several cast members from the show put on an impromptu performance in the street outside the theatre for disappointed audience members.

Very nice. Cast of @hadestown singing to the disappointed audience about the #blackout. pic.twitter.com/zIHuozHIGu

— angela pinsky (@AngelaPinsky) July 13, 2019