Authorities are investigating after Governor Cuomo says an electrical failure caused an explosion at a Con Ed substation in Astoria, Queens.

The NYPD says the malfunction at the substation on 20th Avenue and 32nd Street occurred shortly after 9 p.m.

There are no injuries reported and there is no disturbance to the air quality in the area.

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan tweeted the following confirmation that there are no injuries.

 

City Councilman Costa Constantidies says there is no reported damage to nearby homes. 
People immediately took to social media to post images of the glowing sky. 

Mayor de Blasio also tweeted about the event as well.

Governor Cuomo said there was no significant loss of power, except to LaGuardia Airport. 

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration said a ground stop was ordered at LaGuardia Airport around 9:30 p.m. due to the power failure.
The ground stop was lifted after approximately 45 minutes. At that point, the airport resumed its operations. 
In the aftermath, social media users joked that aliens could be to blame for the blue plume of light stretching across the city's sky. But the NYPD confirmed that there was "no evidence of extraterrestrial activity." 
Con Edison issued a statement about the event that took place, which read, "There was a brief electrical fire at our substation on 20th Avenue & 32nd Street in Astoria shortly after 9 p.m. this evening, which involved some electrical transformers and caused a transmission dip in the area. Con Edison crews responded with FDNY. Con Edison has been in contact with officials at LaGuardia Airport, which switched to backup generation at the time of the transmission disturbance. All power lines serving the area are in service and the system is stable. Con Edison is investigating the cause of the incident."