Transformer Explosion Burns 6 Cars In Queens

An underground Consolidated Edison transformer exploded early yesterday in Queens, shooting flames several stories into the nighttime air and engulfing six cars in a spectacular fire that took more than 100 firefighters an hour to douse and kept hundreds of onlookers watching from nearby sidewalks before dawn.



The utility said that the electrical transformer, under a sidewalk just outside the sprawling Lefrak City apartment complex in Corona, blew up with nearly no warning and set fire to two cars parked several feet away on 57th Avenue near 98th Place. After the fuel tank in one car burst, the gasoline flowed westward down 57th Avenue, setting three more cars and a minivan ablaze.

Earl Wells, a spokesman for Con Edison, said such explosions were extremely rare and did not indicate a wider problem with the utility's transformers. He said the utility constantly monitored all transformers and was usually able to shut down a malfunctioning one. While transformers sometimes catch fire, the "violent ruptures of the type that happened in Queens are extremely infrequent," he added.



One firefighter suffered minor burns to the face and hands from the blaze, which did not affect electrical service in the area.

Late yesterday, Con Edison officials said it was not clear what had caused the explosion in the transformer, which stands about three feet below a sidewalk grate. Richard Mulieri, another spokesman for the utility, said inspectors would examine the transformer for possible defective parts. But he said the explosion's cause might never be determined because the five-foot tall transformer was so badly burned.

Inspectors will also review the level of power use in the neighborhood in the days before the blast to see whether a sudden rise might have overtaxed the transformer.



Yesterday morning, officials from Con Edison and the Fire Department were examining the site, their shoes and boots wrapped up in plastic. But officials said the explosion had not released any toxins in the air.

Mr. Mulieri said Con Edison's records showed that the oil insulating the transformer contained nonhazardous levels of PCB's, and that there was no asbestos present. Tests yesterday morning by the city's Department of Environmental Protection found no PCB contamination, department officials said.