NEW YORK (AP) — A fire started in a manhole on a New York City street Sunday evening, delaying service on multiple subway lines and eliciting a response from Gov. Kathy Hochul. The New York Fire Department said the manhole fire started near a large public housing complex in the Long Island City neighborhood just before 8:30 p.m. No one was injured. The utility company ConEdison said there was a “brief transmission disturbance,” and that the Metropolitan Transit Authority lost some communications. The MTA said a “power surge” had interfered with its signaling systems. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was speaking with ConEd about the disruption to mass transit.
Governor Hochul: “Let me be very clear. Last night was unacceptable. If you’re one of those riders or people relying on safe transport, the system failed you. The MTA is the lifeblood of the city, and a disruption of this magnitude can be catastrophic … I’m immediately directing a review to find out the root cause of the service issues last night. We need to know why the system broke down and why there’s a breakdown of communications between the rail center, the rail control center and the trains.”
Photo: Governor Kathy Hochul holds a briefing and press conference with officials at MTA Headquarters on Mon., August 30, 2021 to discuss Sunday night’s breakdown of power that affected subway service
