Liberty County residents got quite the light show Saturday night, when a string of mysterious lights set the evening sky ablaze above the small town of Daisetta (population 974).
At roughly 8:30 p.m., local law enforcement responded to a report of "red fire balls" hovering high in the air about an hour northwest of Houston.
According to KHOU Ch. 11, deputies arrived at the scene to see four glowing orange objects traveling southwest at an altitude of about 3,000 feet.
The shining balls appeared to be attached to a hot air balloon-type apparatus, although no gondola or basket could be seen.
Officers and at least a dozen other witnesses watched the lights in awe as they floated in a loose line, estimated to measure 10 miles in length. Through binoculars, the shining balls appeared to be attached to a hot air balloon-type apparatus, although no gondola or basket could be seen.
And then, one by one, the objects disappeared into the clouds.
The Liberty County Sheriff's Office contacted the FAA and the National Weather Service, but neither agency reported activity in the area.
But before we start preparing for the alien apocalypse, captain Ken DeFoor with the Liberty County Sheriff's Office tells CultureMap that the case was officially closed Monday morning.
"It turns out that someone was having a wedding nearby and released 50 to 75 of these biodegradable sky lanterns," he laughs. "They even brought one into the station this morning so we could see what everyone spotted Saturday."
This is not be the first time unidentified flying objects have sparked a touch of concern in southeast Texas, which enjoys regular sightings according to this "event map" sponsored by the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON).
As recently as December, citizens spotted odd triangular light formations above Cleveland . . . and have the photos to prove it.
But as much as we'd all like to believe we were visited by intelligent life, the lights turned out to be these hip biodegradable sky lanterns.
