Pop! goes the electric

In 14 years, I've never had an electrical problem here that wasn't the result of a larger blackout. A few minutes ago, I heard a pop! from the hallway, and half my electricity went out. Luckily, I was able to pry open the circuit box in the hallway (it had been painted shut before I ever moved in) and fix it, but then when everything popped back on (not realizing I should have turned everything off first), my ceiling fan in the living room made a fizzling sound and something fell onto the floor. I thought maybe one of the bulbs broke, but in retrospect I think it was dust. I turned off the ceiling fan and am afraid of it now.