Yellow and red flashes over Chars

Summary

At 18:46 on 19 January 2009, a resident of Chars in Val-d'Oise saw a pale yellow light moving across the sky that split into several yellow and red flashes before vanishing entirely within ten to fifteen seconds. The witness initially thought of a UFO, but the fragmentation pattern and rapid disappearance are consistent with a bolide — a meteorite or piece of space debris breaking apart upon atmospheric entry. GEIPAN classified the case as B, considering this the most plausible explanation. Such events, while relatively common, often go unnoticed by casual observers.