New York’s night sky was bathed in a green-blue light Thursday night, with police saying that an investigation into the cause is currently underway but that they believe it may have resulted from a transformer explosion at a power plant in the Astoria neighbourhood in Queens.
“The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens,” the New York Police Department tweeted Thursday evening, adding that the fire was “under control.” Speaking with Gizmodo by phone, an NYPD spokesperson said there were no reported injuries or deaths in the incident.
Twitter was flooded with footage of the blue light by perplexed New Yorkers:
Appears to be an explosion at the con Ed plant in Astoria @ConEdison … Bright as day. Sounded like a transformer. #breakingnews #astoria #nyc @channel pic.twitter.com/4jZ54iMExU
— ManYourStyle (@ManYourStyleNY) December 28, 2018
What is going on in NY right now???! ????
Via: Instagram/Aleeziah pic.twitter.com/IxBZfFbAt4— BET (@BET) December 28, 2018
Why is the sky over #NYC #NewYorkCity #Manhattan #Brox #Queens Teal Blue?!!!! #EdgewaterNJ pic.twitter.com/LOHVWqNdN5
— EdgewaterNJ .Com (@EdgewaterNJCom) December 28, 2018
Hearing reports of ConEd explosion in Queens that lit up NYC skies a few minutes ago. Will provide more information here as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/h3pyXDlsqk
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) December 28, 2018
Power Surge at the ConEd facility in Astoria. pic.twitter.com/Iehisp2klj
— NYCFireWire (@NYCFireWire) December 28, 2018
Here’s a look at the explosion from closer up:
According to separate reports on social media, there was also a power outage at LaGuardia Airport, which is also situated in Queens. The airport tweeted that it was experiencing delays and that some flights were not departing as a result of the incident.
I have just touched down at La Guardia in NYC and the airport is shut down. On the way in we saw some kind of explosion happening on the ground. The pilot seems to think it’s relating to the power plant. We’re waiting for a mobile staircase to get us out of the plane.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) December 28, 2018
lol i’m on the tarmac at cincinnati and the pilot just came on: “so we just heard a a coned explosion knocked out the power at laguardia…but we’re uh, still gonna go” https://t.co/JIRpGRac5V
— aleksander chan (@aleksnotalex) December 28, 2018
Con Edison initially tweeted Thursday that it was working with the New York Fire Department to “respond [to] a substation fire.”
“There was a brief electrical fire at our substation in Astoria which involved some electrical transformers and caused a transmission dip in the area,” the company said in a subsequent tweet, adding that it was investigating the cause.
This story is developing and may be updated throughout.