Fireball over Aulnay-sous-Bois

Summary

An orange sphere descended slowly and silently over Aulnay-sous-Bois on February 9, 1981, trailing grey smoke until it vanished from sight. Shortly afterward, a second similar ball appeared in the sky. The investigation uncovered a prosaic explanation: at a nearby airport, firefighters had launched emergency parachute flares. These devices rose 100 to 200 meters, stayed lit for about a minute, and then drifted down gently until they burned out — behavior that matches the witness's description point by point.