Fire drop in the sky over Wissous

Summary

In 1960, two people in Wissous witnessed a strange "fire drop" descending vertically from a storm cloud. Described as elongated at the top, the object remained visible for one to three seconds before disappearing behind some trees. There was no sound or fire on the ground. An expert in atmospheric phenomena concluded it could be a fireball, a rare but known phenomenon that occurs before a dry thunderstorm. These luminous spheres can slowly fall from clouds and, upon touching the ground or a structure, may trigger an isolated lightning strike. Although there were no consequences in this case, it was classified as a probable fireball observation.