Downed power lines spark fires, outages in Westchester County

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Eyewitnesss News

MAMARONECK (WABC) -- Storms and high winds may be to blame for knocking down power lines, rupturing a gas line and setting several cars on fire in Westchester County early Tuesday.

The incident happened on Mamaroneck Avenue and Winfield Avenue in Mamaroneck just after 1 a.m.

Firefighters and Con Edison are on the on scene, and roughly 500 homes were without power at the outages peak. That number was down to about 100 by 6:30 a.m.

The 13,000 thousand volt wires landed on top of cars, engulfing them in flames.

Two cars were completely destroyed, and a third was damaged.

Firefighters responded to put out the fire, but they were hampered by the ruptured gas line. It is believed the wires heated up the ground to a point that the line burst and caught fire.

Responders said that pouring water on the gas gas would create additional problems and could spark explosions. They were waiting for Con Edison to find the shutoff valve for the line, which occurred just before 7 a.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.