Fires Knock Out Power For Significant Portion Of Teaneck: Officials

TEANECK, NJ — Two unrelated fires at a Teaneck substation and a local underground electrical vault knocked out power for a significant portion of the town Wednesday and Thursday, officials said.

An explosion at the Public Service Enterprise Group substation at Palisade Avenue and Colonial Court about 2:40 p.m. Wednesday cut power to multiple street lights for about five hours before power was partially restored, Deputy Chief Andrew McGurr said.

The second fire began about 7:25 p.m., around the same time PSE&G began restoring power, when officers saw flames from an underground vault coming out of grates near Cedar Lane and Garrison Avenue, McGurr said.

Power remained out for businesses between Elm Avenue and Windsor Road as of Thursday morning, authorities said.

A traffic alert also said to avoid the area of Cedar Lane between Elm Avenue and Windsor Road, as the road is closed until further notice.

Deputy Mayor Mark Schwartz updated the town at 5 a.m. Thursday, saying that PSE&G had made "good progress" from the night before.

Additional manpower was in route from all departments to expedite restoration, Schwartz noted.

"As I like to say, the cavalry is en-route," Schwartz said.