Major power outage hits Manhattan

By Nicole Chavez, CNN

Updated 7:56 a.m. ET, July 15, 2019
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9:21 p.m. ET, July 13, 2019

A Broadway show was cancelled due to the outage. The cast still sang on the street

The cast of Come From Away started singing the opening song to their show outside the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater when the show had to be cancelled due to the outage.

9:02 p.m. ET, July 13, 2019

People were forced to walk through subway train cars to get out of tunnels

The outage is having a widespread effect on the New York subway system. Some people have been forced to walk through train cars to evacuate.

The trains have been stopped for more than 45 minutes and they can't move back to stations.

9:00 p.m. ET, July 13, 2019

"This is simply a mechanical problem," mayor says

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says it appears the outage was caused by a mechanical problem. He told CNN's Ana Cabrera that he didn't think outside interests played a hand in the outage.

"This appears to be something that just went wrong in the way that they transmit power from one part of the city to another," he said.
"It sounds like it is addressable in a reasonable amount of time."
8:41 p.m. ET, July 13, 2019

This is the scene in Times Square

Photos from Times Square are showing some of the famous electronic billboards dark as dozens of people stand confused on the sidewalks.

8:34 p.m. ET, July 13, 2019

Crowd of people are waiting for Broadway shows, which are dark

The power outage is currently putting a hold on some shows on Broadway.

8:33 p.m. ET, July 13, 2019

More than 40,000 in Manhattan don't have power right now

From CNN's Steve Almasy

Tens of thousands of people are without power in Manhattan tonight, according to ConEdison.

Of the 42,000 customers without power in New York, most are in Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side, the utility company said.

What's the cause: The city's fire department is responding to numerous transformer fires, the first of which occurred in Manhattan on West 64th Street and West End Avenue, officials said. 

The outage is having a widespread effect, with the New York subway system also experiencing power outages in its stations, the agency managing the trains said.

"We're working to identify causes and keep trains moving," the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tweeted. 

The outages are affecting "multiple lines," the MTA said. The lack of power is a major issue on the streets and in buildings, too.