NUFORC Sighting 12615

Occurred: 2000-03-09 20:15 Local
Reported: 2000-04-07 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 3 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: Buffalo, MO, USA

Shape: Fireball

Bright flash followed by fireball breaking up into red-orange embers.

On the night of March 9, 2000, I was driving home from work on State highway 32 between the cities of Lebanon and Buffalo, Missouri. I was headed in a westbound direction. As I drove along, a bright flash to the south of me attracted my attention. I thought it must be a flash of lightning and turned my head to see if there storms in that direction. I turned my head just in time to see a fireball breaking up into red-orange colored embers. The fireball was moving from a westerly to easterly direction, and the angle of travel was slightly toward the southeast. The original bright flash which caught my attention was bright enough to light up the southern night sky. The night sky was fairly clear, except for some smoky haze due to numerous forest fires in the area at the time. The duration of the sighting was extremely short, a few seconds at most. The red-orange embers from the fragmenting fireball faded from view instantly as the object broke apart. I was not sure of the exact time of the sighting but I knew it to be between 2000 and 2030 hours local time. I was in Laclede county at the time of the sighting and still had a few miles to go before I crossed into Dallas county where I live.

Posted 2000-04-15