UPDATE: Underground Fire on Stratford Rd. Leaves Three Homes Without Power

Update: 10:11 a.m.: According to a spokesman for Con Edison, the underground fire on Stratford Road, which occured at 5:38 a.m., has left three homes without power.

He said Con Edison was currently working on the problem and hopes to restore the homes' power early this afternoon. 

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The fire was caused by defective underground equipment that caused one manhole to catch fire and two nearby manholes to smoke. 

A fire on Stratford Road between Beverley Road and Hinckley Place caused some electrical problems for residents of the Ditmas Park block.

On Thursday morning a little before 6:00 a.m. an underground fire began that was visible from the street. 

Stratford Road resident Beth Wexelman told Ditmas Park Patch in an email there were sparks coming out of a manhole and lights in houses were flickering. 

As of 8:22 a.m., Wexelman noted that firetrucks had left the scene and Con Edison was on site working in two manholes. 

She added that she spoke with a neighbor who is a firefighter for the ladder company on Cortelyou Road, and he said the cause of the fire is unknown because it was underground. 

Calls to Con Edison were not returned by the time of publication. More information is to come.