Smoke was reported from two manholes in Norwood, Bronx, on July 31, coinciding with a daylong power outage that left at least four nearby apartment buildings without electricity. Local resident Marcos Sierra posted video to X showing smoke and tagged Con Edison, which said crews repaired a faulty cable and restored service. A separate manhole fire was later reported in Brooklyn on Aug. 1. These incidents underscore the safety risks and daily disruptions that underground electrical failures can cause in a dense city.
Smoke Billows From Bronx Manholes as Norwood Buildings Lose Power; Con Edison Restores Service
Photo Credit: X
Residents in the Norwood neighborhood of the Bronx experienced a daylong electrical disruption on July 31 after smoke was seen coming from two manholes on Mosholu Parkway. Local resident Marcos Sierra captured video of smoke rising from the underground vaults and posted it to X to alert the utility.
Sierra’s post described the scene: “Smoke billowing from two separate manholes on Mosholu Parkway Between W Gun Hill Road and Gates Place. Smells like burning wires or rubber. Several buildings w/out power. Send help!!” He told reporters the smoke appeared to spread from one manhole to another and estimated that at least four nearby apartment buildings lost power.
A Con Edison spokesperson, Anne Marie Corbalisa, told Norwood News that crews responded to a report of a smoking manhole, repaired a faulty cable and safely restored customers to service. The utility did not immediately provide a precise count of affected residents or the exact length of the outage.
Separately, on Aug. 1, video shared on social media appeared to show a manhole fire on Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn while traffic passed nearby. Con Edison responded publicly to that post asking for the exact location so crews could be dispatched.
Risks and Disruption
Smoking or flaming manholes present direct safety hazards to pedestrians, motorists and nearby vehicles and can create uncertainty for residents — who must decide whether to evacuate, shelter in place, or wait for repairs. Power outages in apartment buildings can leave tenants without lights, air conditioning, elevator service, refrigeration for food, phone charging and power for critical medical devices.
Underground electrical failures can also cause spoiled groceries, interrupted routines and repeated calls to 311 or the utility for status updates. In dense urban areas like New York City, even brief incidents can affect many people and raise public-safety concerns until repairs are complete.
What happened: Con Edison reported that a faulty cable in Norwood was repaired and service restored. The Brooklyn video prompted the utility to request more precise location information so crews could respond.
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