Transformer fire reported at NYC power plant, lights up night sky
By Caroline Linton
/ CBS News
A fire at Con Ed power plant in the New York City borough Queens led to a strange blue light lighting up the night sky, the New York Police Department confirmed. The NYPD said a transformer exploded at the utility company's facility in Astoria shortly after 9 p.m., CBS New York reports.
NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan told CBS New York there were no injuries as a result of the explosion.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted the subway system has power, but there were delays on the local Queens 7 line. Con Ed is evaulating possible power outages. De Blasio's spokesman Eric Phillips tweeted that "scattered" power outages were reported elsewhere.
The FAA issued a ground stop at nearby LaGuardia Airport at 9:36 p.m. with a power outage. Air traffic control facilities continued operations because they went immediately to generator power, said FAA Eastern Region spokesman Gregory Martin. The ground stop lasted about 45 minutes.
The mysterious blue light caused many New Yorkers to turn to social media for answers, including many who wondered if it was aliens. Even Phillips wrote "not aliens" in his update.
this explosion at a power plant just happened in New York and it looks like the beginning of some monster movie pic.twitter.com/kiuTPohWiA
— Armani (@armani_salado) December 28, 2018
This is a breaking story. It will be updated.
First published on December 27, 2018
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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