Grandrieu 1985, ogive shape turned out to be a maritime flare

Summary

On 8 April 1985 several witnesses in Lozère saw an ogive-shaped object with an irregular outline and intense red colour falling behind a mountain. Some feared it might be an aircraft in distress and alerted the gendarmerie, whose officers also confirmed the phenomenon. The investigation revealed that a resident of a nearby village had launched an expired maritime flare without any specific purpose. Case resolved.