A series of fires broke out around the city. To see in the dark, many New Yorkers were lit by candles indoors, and curtains and furniture were accidentally lit. “I remember it turned into this nightmare situation that never stopped,” Sharon Hawa, who worked for the American Red Cross at the time, told the organization’s podcast in 2021. “It was like a wildfire happening in the city.”
Less arrests than usual
Firefighters were called to more than 60 residential fires that night, with the deaths of the two resulting from the use of the fire to supply the fire. “There were 25 working fires in the Brooklyn District alone over a 24-hour period,” said New York Firefighter Thomas Richardson. “That’s a lot for one borough. Usually, in a city, you get between a dozen city-wide fires and 20 fires for 24 hours.”
It was far from the first blackout that the Big Apple had suffered. In 1977, when lightning struck a major transmission line, there was a massive blackout. At the time, looting and rioting spread, causing about 3,800 arrests and over 1,000 fires. But the mood of the city in 2003 Power outage in 1965New Yorkers gathered to help each other and make the most of the situation.
“The darkness poses more threats, but there was no lawlessness and looting that many city leaders feared,” Bryant said. “New Yorkers are learning to deal with unexpected things. After the attack on September 11th, this has become a fierce city of battle.” Ultimately, there are few blackout-of-power-related crimes, with about 100 fewer arrests than usual.
Source: BBC Culture – www.bbc.com
