Big Blue: bright light filling sky mystifies New York residents after Queens transformer fire
- Power company said an electrical fire at a substation meant there were power cuts in the area and the cause was being investigated
A transformer explosion at an electric power substation in the New York borough of Queens lit up the night sky with a bright blue light on Thursday, mystifying some residents, but officials said no one was injured in the incident.
“The light you have seen throughout the city appears to have been from a transformer explosion at a Con Ed facility in Queens,” the New York Police Department said in an advisory to residents on Twitter. “The fire is under control.”
Many social media users posted videos and photos of the night sky over New York illuminated by a bright light.
“Why is the sky lit up bright blue in Queens New York City right now? Is it fireworks?” Louis Santoro, a New York resident, wrote on Twitter.
City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a message on Twitter no one was injured and Con Edison was evaluating the extent of power cuts in the area. He said the light was caused by an electrical surge at the substation.