Fireball seen in Aulnay-sous-Bois

Summary

On February 9, 1981, a witness in Aulnay-sous-Bois (France) saw an orange fireball followed by a gray smoke trail. The sphere descended slowly and silently, eventually disappearing into the landscape. Shortly after, another similar ball appeared in the sky. During the investigation, it was discovered that nearby, at an airport, firefighters had launched distress rockets with parachutes. These rockets ascended vertically to about 100 to 200 meters, remained lit for a minute, and then gently fell and extinguished. The witness likely mistook these rockets for an unidentified flying object.