The bizarre sight set off a frenzy on social media, where people reported a power failure at LaGuardia Airport. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said a ground stop was ordered there around 9:30 p.m. because of the power failure but was lifted after about 45 minutes; the airport resumed its operations, he said.
After a stoppage because of the power failure, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a tweet that the No. 7 train had resumed making all stops but warned of “extensive delays” in both directions.
A spokesman for the New York Fire Department said it was investigating reports of a transformer fire at a Con Edison substation. The New York Police Department reiterated as much in a tweet, saying the blue light was the result of a “transformer explosion” and adding that “the fire is under control.”
A spokesman for Con Edison did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The utility’s outage map showed only about 50 power outages as of 9:50 p.m. Thursday, but that number was growing. On Twitter, officials apologized to dozens of alarmed customers, saying they “are aware of this situation.”
By about 10:13 p.m., Chief Terence Monahan of the Fire Department said on Twitter that there were no injuries as a result of the explosion.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.