UPDATE: Con Ed Tweaks Statement on Cause of Eerie Blue NYC Sky

A transformer fire in Queens sent an eerie blue light flooding the nighttime sky as electricity flickered in homes and an airport was plunged into darkness Thursday.

Con Edison says a brief electrical fire involving transformers broke out at the substation on 20th Avenue and 32nd Street in Astoria, causing a transmission dip in the area.

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The fire lit the sky so brightly that it briefly appeared to be daytime in neighborhoods like Astoria and Woodside, residents reported. Smoke arose from the source of the blue light, visible from as far as Manhattan.

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Con Edison is investigating the cause of the transformer fire. Utility spokesman Bob McGee says no one was hurt.

"It did create a spectacular effect on the sky, and certainly caused a lot of concern," he told News 4, calling it an "abnormal event."

"The electrical fault on the 138,000 volt equipment caused a sustained electrical arc flash that was visible across a wide area," he added early Friday in a statement. "The affected equipment was isolated to a single section within the substation."

Incredible video taken from Edgewater, New Jersey, shows blue light flooding parts of New York City skies and pans to the rest of Manhattan for comparison. (Published Friday, Dec. 28, 2018)

Though small, the fire had a large impact citywide. LaGuardia Airport went dark, Rikers Island jail was on backup generators, and the 7 subway line saw major delays in both directions, according to Con Edison.

NYPD officials on scene said it appeared to simply be equipment malfunction, and there was no sign of any sort of nefarious interference. There was no visible damage inside the Con Edison plant.

Meanwhile, people flooded the streets in Queens and swarmed social media to try to figure out the source of the mysterious blue-green glow in the sky.

"I was thinking this is the end of the world, like something's gonna happen," said Tarek Kherifi in Astoria.

"The electricity went off, that was obvious. But the light in the sky, that was very intense," said Berklis Kanaris. "The combination made me wonder what it was."

One boy told News 4 he thought it was an UFO.

A transformer fire in Queens sent an eerie blue light flooding the nighttime sky over New York City. Michael George and Checkey Beckford report. (Published Friday, Dec. 28, 2018)

People in Queens reported the electricity briefly flickering off in their homes, and LaGuardia Airport saw a total blackout at one point. A News 4 staffer picking up his daughter in Terminal A said the lights started to flicker, then turned off completely while the emergency lights stayed on.

The FAA initially issued a ground stop at LaGuardia but power was largely restored by 11 p.m. and the airport was resuming normal operations. Travelers were still asked to check with their carriers for updated flight information.

Firefighters responding to the ConEd fire saw it in the sky before they got there, radio transmissions on Broadcastify show.

"There's a high-voltage emergency going on the ConEd plant, heading that way now," one firefighter said. "Can we have a representative from ConEd meet us out on 20th Avenue? It just seems like whatever it was just shut down. We'll meet them at the main gate."

"Yeah, whatever was arcing the skyline, it turned off, it seems like," he continued. "Just advise Battalion 49, we have a visible fire in the ConEd plant. We're going to enter off of 31st Street."

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A pilot near JFK Airport also described the stunning scene when the transformer exploded, dispatch recordings receal.

"Eleven o'clock, it looks like a massive fire," he's heard saying in a dispatch with the JFK tower.

"JetBlue 1186, you see that light out there? You know what that is?" one voice is heard in the tower transmissions.

"Yes sir, and no, we do not, not at all, sorry," another voice responds. "We see colors like that off the clouds."

In another tower transmission, a voice is heard saying, "Delta 1197 Heavy, let me know if you're able to see what that light is out there."

The Delta pilot said, "It's on the ground lighting up the sky."

The tower responded, "You don't know what it is?"

"Negative," the pilot said. "Blue-green color, does not look like typical flames."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said state police and the Public Service Commission were ready to support local authorities in the investigation.

It was the second major incident involving Con Edison in the last six months. In July, a steam pipe explosion spewed asbestos-laden vapor into the air in the Flatiron District, driving hundreds of people from their homes and businesses.

ConEd said it had restored all major transmission lines associated with the event and was in the process of investigating the cause of the failure.

See Our Top Tri-State Stories of 2018</s>A huge explosion at a New York power plant has turned the sky above parts of the city a bright blue-green.

Many Manhattanites were stunned when the sky over parts of Queens started to glow a bright neon blue shortly after 9pm on Thursday night.

Scores posted footage of the glowing skyline to social media, saying the sky was “bright as day”. Footage of the scene showed the sky flickering a bright blue-green for several minutes.

The strange sight was caused by an explosion at the Con Edison power plant in Queens, with the New York Police Department officially confirming on Twitter that the cause of the remarkable sight was the explosion and there was “no evidence of extraterrestrial activity”.

Parts of Queens have lost power and La Guardia airport has closed after the incident. Photograph: Emma Canalese

“There was a brief electrical fire at our substation in Astoria which involved some electrical transformers and caused a transmission dip in the area. We’re currently investigating the cause of the incident,” Con Edison tweeted.

Police advised people to avoid the area and later confirmed no one had been injured as a result of the incident.

The New York fire department confirmed they had received multiple reports of explosions in the Long Island City and Astoria area, to which they had responded. At 10:15pm they reported the incident was under control and there were no reported injuries and no fire.

Residents left their homes as the black sky turned neon blue, with several telling the Guardian they thought they were witnessing an alien invasion.

Lucas Espinoza, a Queens resident, said: “I was eating dinner in my living room and out of nowhere the lights and TV started flickering and then the whole sky – which was pitch black a moment earlier – lit up with a pulsating greenish blue light. I ran up to my rooftop and grabbed the video while it lasted for a few minutes.”

George Delis, who lives down the road from the plant, told the Guardian: “A little while ago, the TV went out and I see this massive bright light. It was so bright I thought it was a UFO. I was so excited I grabbed my phone and saw right down the block at Con Edison, a transformer was on fire. It was so bright, much brighter than the sun ... I’ve been living here for 37 years and I’ve never seen this happen before.”

The incident cause several streets to lose power and also caused a blackout at LaGuardia Airport.

The mayor of New York Bill de Blasio confirmed the extraordinary light was “caused by electrical surge at substation”, but said there were no current fire and no injuries. He said the MTA had power, but there were delays on the 7 train and that power was “coming back on” at LaGuardia, but travellers should expect delays.</s>Transformer explosion in Queens lights up sky in New York City, causes power outages.

NEW YORK (AP) — Transformer explosion in Queens lights up sky in New York City, causes power outages.</s>NEW YORK (AP) — Transformer explosion in Queens lights up sky in New York City, causes power outages.</s>#Bluelight, Queens, #astoria, #nyc, #nycsky: Blue sky at night lights up social media in New York

NEW YORK: An alien invasion? The Rapture? The sky flashed an eerie blue over New York City on Thursday night and social media users feared the worst.



Extraterrestrial activity was a leading theory: "IM SORRY WHAT???? THE SKY JUST TURNED BLUE???? literally so confused I think aliens just tried to steal new york," one user wrote on Twitter.

"Apparently aliens are landing in New York City right now bcs the sky’s blue," wrote another.

In this trying time, some saw the hand of God at work: "Don’t worry, New Yorkers. The blue light you saw in the sky was just the Rapture," one tweet said.

Another Twitter user noted that people had been warned to change their ways: "What’s happening in the sky in New York? If it’s the rapture, I just wanna say I told y’all to quit it."

Travelers at LaGuardia airport were treated to potential delays as well as a light show.

"Due to a power outage in Queens, there is partial flight operations @LGAairport. Many flights are departing, some are not," the airport wrote on its Twitter account, later adding that power was back in "all terminals" and advising passengers to check with airlines for flight status information.

In the end, the explanation turned out to be somewhat more mundane than the end of times or invaders from outer space: a problem at a local power plant.

"The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens. The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available," the New York Police Department tweeted.

Con Edison, the power company, tweeted that: "There was a brief electrical fire at our substation in Astoria which involved some electrical transformers and caused a transmission dip in the area. We’re currently investigating the cause of the incident."

"The incident is under control. There are no injuries reported, and no fire," the fire department said.

The anticlimactic explanation was disappointing to some.

"I wish the blue sky in New York was aliens and not a power plant on fire," one Twitter user wrote.</s>NEW YORK - An alien invasion? The Rapture? The sky flashed an eerie blue over New York City on Thursday night (Dec 27) and social media users feared the worst.

"I'm sorry what???? The sky just turned blue???? Literally so confused I think aliens just tried to steal New York," one user wrote on Twitter.

Some saw the hand of God at work: "Don't worry, New Yorkers. The blue light you saw in the sky was just the Rapture," one tweet said.

Another Twitter user noted that people had been warned to change their ways: "What's happening in the sky in New York? If it's the rapture, I just wanna say I told y'all to quit it."

Many posted videos and photos of the night sky illuminated by a bright light.

In the end, the explanation turned out to be somewhat more mundane: a problem at a local power plant.

"The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens. The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available," the New York Police Department tweeted.

Con Edison, the power company, tweeted that it was working with the fire department "to respond (to) a substation fire in Astoria." "The incident is under control. There are no injuries reported, and no fire," the fire department said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter no one was injured. He said the light was caused by an electrical surge at the substation.

Travellers at LaGuardia airport, which is located in Queens, were treated to potential delays as well as a light show. "Due to a power failure at #LGA, please allow extra time when coming to the airport," the airport wrote on its Twitter account.

The anticlimactic explanation was disappointing to some.

"I wish the blue sky in New York was aliens and not a power plant on fire," one Twitter user wrote.</s>NEW YORK
• An alien invasion? The Rapture? The sky flashed an eerie blue over New York City on Thursday night and social media users feared the worst.

Extraterrestrial activity was a leading theory. "I think aliens just tried to steal New York," one user wrote on Twitter.

Some saw the hand of God at work. "Don't worry, New Yorkers. The blue light you saw in the sky was just the Rapture," one tweet said.

Many posted videos and photos of the night sky illuminated by a bright light.

In the end, the explanation turned out to be somewhat more mundane: a problem at a local power plant.

"The lights you have seen throughout the city appear to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens. The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available," the New York Police Department tweeted.

Con Edison, the power company, tweeted that it was working with the fire department "to respond (to) a substation fire in Astoria". "The incident is under control", the fire department said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter that the light was caused by an electrical surge at the substation.

Travellers at LaGuardia airport, which is in Queens, faced potential delays but were treated to a light show. "Due to a power failure at #LGA, please allow extra time when coming to the airport," the airport wrote on its Twitter account.</s>NEW YORK—The night sky turned blue across New York City on Thursday when a transformer exploded at a Con Ed facility in Queens.

An FDNY spokesman said firefighters responded to the blast on 20th Avenue in Steinway at about 9:20 p.m. The transformer exploded on a site Con Ed shares with power-generating companies and other industrial facilities.

"I thought it was a terrorist attack. Everything was flooded with smoke. It looked like blue fire. It was so big it was like the whole sky turned blue," said Astoria resident Ziad Elnokrashy.

"I thought it was the end of the world," Elnokrashy said.</s>The New York mayor’s spokesman insisted that the glowing lights were not aliens Craig Ruttle/AP

A small explosion at a power plant turned the sky over New York bright blue last night, causing airport disruption and prompting the mayor’s official spokesman to confirm that it was “not aliens”.

Residents were mystified when a neon glow appeared above the Astoria area of Queens and was visible in surrounding areas as it flickered for several minutes.

Eric Klinenberg, a New York University sociologist, wrote on Twitter: “Something insane is happening in the sky above Manhattan right now.” Another user asked: “Why is the sky lit up bright blue in Queens New York City right now? Is it fireworks?”

Officials said that the bizarre spectacle was the result of a transformer explosion at a power plant run by the energy supplier Con Edison,…</s>Bright blue light is seen after a transformer explosion on Thursday at an electric power station in the New York City borough of Queens, U.S., in this picture obtained from social media on December 28, 2018. Twitter/@Eat_Work_Run/via REUTERS

(Reuters) - A transformer explosion at an electric power station in the New York City borough of Queens on Thursday led police officials to warn people to avoid the area, after social media users posted images of a bright light on the horizon.

"The light 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 said in an advisory on Twitter to local residents.

"The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available," it said.

The New York Police Department's 114th precinct, which patrols the area, said in a Twitter post that people should avoid the area around the power plant.

Con Edison confirmed there had been a fire at a power substation in Queens, saying on Twitter that it was working with the New York Fire Department and would provide further details later.

Also on Thursday, a power outage at LaGuardia Airport, which is located in Queens, prompted flight cancellations, the New York affiliate of NBC reported. It was not immediately clear if the two events were related.
The New York City sky lights up in blue after a transformer in Astoria, Queens, explodes.