A transformer explosion at an electrical facility illuminated the New York City skyline in a blaze of blue light Thursday night.
The explosion caused scattered power outages, delayed flights and impacted city subways.
"There was a boom and a bang and a flash of light," Jim Long, a spokesman for the Fire Department of New York, said in his appraisal of the event.
Some New York City residents wondered on social media if their town had been invaded by aliens or whether it was the end of time.
It did not take long for Con Edison, the local electric utility company, to clarify.
Con Edison tweeted:"There was a brief electrical fire at our substation in Astoria, (in the borough of Queens) which involved some electrical transformers and caused a transmission (power) dip in the area."
La Guardia Airport experienced a brief blackout, causing flight cancellations and delays, but it was back to full capacity by midnight.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation.
