NEW YORK CITY — Con Edison asked customers on Roosevelt Island to conserve electricity on Friday after a small electrical fire on the Queensboro Bridge damaged the company's equipment and left some customers in the dark, a spokesman said.
The utility company asked Roosevelt Island residents not to use high-energy appliances such as washers and dryers, and to turn off lights and televisions when they aren't needed, a spokesman said.
Overall, Con Edison reduced voltage on Roosevelt Island by 8 percent after the Friday morning fire.
The company made the same reductions on the Upper East Side, from Lexington Avenue to the East River from East 56th to East 62nd streets, and in Midtown from East 44th to East 52nd streets between Fifth and Park avenues, though customers in those areas were not asked to reduce their power usage.
FDNY did not have information about the fire.
Con Ed implemented the reductions to protect equipment and keep the power flowing while crews worked to repair the problem.
A spokesman for the company said late Friday afternoon that a handful of customers were still without power and that the company hoped to bring portable generators to those customers by 7 p.m.
The company set up a customer outreach van to answer residents' questions at 591 Main St. on Roosevelt Island. Customers can report outages or check the status of the repairs at Con Ed's website or by calling 1-800-752-6633.
