A man’s home could have been destroyed by a meteor, authorities have said – after a “flaming basketball” was captured falling from the sky, leading to the death of a dog.
Dustin Procita was at home with his two dogs in Nevada County, about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento, when he heard “a big bang” in his usually quiet rural community, he told NBC affiliate KCRA.
“I started to smell smoke, and I went on to my porch, and it was completely engulfed in flames,” Mr Procita said.
NBC shared a video showing what looks like a ball of fire falling from the sky close to a road.
When Mr Procita was shown the video by an NBC reporter, he commented: “Oh wow, it looks like a flaming basketball coming out of the sky.”
The Penn Valley Fire Department were called to the home at 7.26pm on 4 November and managed to contain the fire after three hours, with help from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
A dog died in the fire, which also destroyed the house, a travel trailer and a pickup truck, Cal Fire spokesperson Mary Eldridge said.
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Authorities do not know the cause of the fire, but are investigating whether a meteor could have fallen from the sky on to Mr Procita’s home.
“That is a potential cause, but it’s too early to pinpoint one,” Fire Captain Clayton Thomas said.
“I can say that during the incident many people approached the fire department to say they saw a potential meteor fall in that area. What we haven’t seen yet is any video or witness say that it struck an actual structure.”
It could be several weeks before the department determines a cause, Capt Thomas added.
