"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 on to residents on Twitter.

"The fire is under control, will update as more info becomes available," it said.

Many social media users posted videos and photos of the night sky over New York City 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 City resident, wrote on Twitter.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a message on Twitter no one was injured and that Con Edison was evaluating the extent of power outages in the area. He said the light was caused by an electrical surge at the substation.

Con Edison said on Twitter an electrical fire at a substation in the Astoria section of Queens caused a transmission dip in the area. The cause of the incident was being investigated, it said.

A power outage at LaGuardia Airport, which is located in Queens, prompted flight cancellations, the New York affiliate of NBC reported earlier on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if the two events were related.

Power was returning at LaGuardia Airport, de Blasio said, but travellers could expect delays. 

eNCA