WILLIAMSBURG — A telephone pole collapsed on North Sixth Street by Bedford Avenue Friday afternoon, officials said.
The collapse, which included both a pole and electrical wires, caused "an electrical emergency" when it occurred at 1:17 p.m., a FDNY spokesman said.
After the accident, North Sixth Street between Bedford Avenue and Berry Street was closed to car or foot traffic, and pedestrians were forced to cross the congested Bedford Avenue intersection between a line-up of fire trucks that were working to repair the problem.
"It's a complete mess," said Sandra Shafer, a resident who lives just steps from the fall on Bedford Avenue. "It happened really fast...and it doesn't help the businesses here either. I hope it won't be too long before they fix it."
Shafer and others noted that construction on a gas line had recently begun on the corner, but authorities did not say what caused the collapse, nor did they say when the repairs would be completed.
Representatives from Verizon, the company operating the telephone pole, said they were researching the collapse, and a Con Edison spokeswoman said they had no record of involvement in the collapse. Representatives for National Grid, which is performing gas line work on the corner, did not immediately return calls requesting comment.
