EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKIES OVER NYC, ANCHORAGE ALASKA

From the New York Times:

The sky over New York was set ablaze last night by an unexplained explosion. Authorities from NASA, the Pentagon, the PTA and NORAD were contacted for an explanation, but none has surfaced as yet. The origin of the blast remains unknown, and speculation among the government and private agencies is running rampant as to whether the explosion resulted from a natural phenomenon, an aircraft disaster, a missile attack, or other, even more bizarre causes. Even more perplexing is the fact that, at precisely the same moment, a similar explosion was reported in the skies over Anchorage, Alaska.

The destructive force of the blast was considerable, says General David Darby, U.S. Army Chief of Staff. "There appears to have been a shock wave created by the blast, which washed over New York and caused widespread, if minor, damage. Windows were knocked out as far as 3 miles from the blast, and there were a number of minor injuries when people on the street were knocked to the ground. Thankfully, no one was killed, and no major structural damage was caused to city structures. We think that is because the blast took place at an altitude of about 60,000 feet - over 11 miles high. If the blast had taken place any lower, we feel we would have seen massive damage to buildings, and tremendous loss of life. The blast in Alaska seems to have had a similar altitude and effect."

Sources in the White House report that the President has placed the military on DEF CON 2, in the event these blasts were some kind of aborted missile attack. Radiation levels are being read at normal, however, suggesting that if the attack was a missile, it did not contain any nuclear warheads. Air traffic over both New York and Anchorage has been curtailed for the time being, while authorities investigate the possiblity of repeat blasts.