A blazing green fireball ripped across the skies of western Washington and southern British Columbia just after midnight on Wednesday, startling night-owl drivers and setting off a wave of doorbell and dashboard camera alerts. The flash was brief but bright enough to be caught on home and business surveillance systems from Anacortes to Belfair and, according to viewers online, as far north as Victoria, B.C.
Where it was seen and who filmed it
Several viewers sent clips to FOX 13 Seattle showing a sudden green burst at about 12:12 a.m. local time. An Anacortes resident credited as "Mrs. Lofa" shared a timestamped video, and another recording from Kelly Cloud caught the streak slipping behind trees in Belfair. FOX 13 Seattle reported that its newsroom began getting tips and video almost immediately, with people in Victoria also posting their own footage online. According to FOX 13 Seattle, the station received multiple doorbell, dash and security-camera submissions tied to the same flash.
How tracking groups logged the event
The American Meteor Society logged 101 reports of a bright fireball over British Columbia, Oregon and Washington around 07:12 UTC (12:12 a.m. PDT) and lists three submitted videos linked to the event. Many witnesses described the flash as unusually bright and very quick. The organization uses those reports to help triangulate the object's path and estimate its brightness. See the April 29 entry on the American Meteor Society event page for more details.
Online videos and reaction
Local social media posts, especially a busy Victoria Reddit thread, pulled together multiple short clips and firsthand timestamps from drivers and homeowners who saw the same green streak between about 12:11 and 12:14 a.m. Commenters floated theories ranging from re-entering satellites or space junk to a bolide-style meteor. The quick flood of short videos helped confirm that people across the region were watching the same event. The Reddit thread ultimately collected several door-cam and phone clips that line up with the timelines reported by local stations and the American Meteor Society.
What it could mean and how to report footage
Fireballs like this are typically one-off meteors or fragments of a larger object and may or may not be tied to regular meteor showers. Late April is still an active period for spring meteor activity. Space.com offers background on seasonal showers such as the Lyrids and tips on telling routine shower meteors apart from sporadic bolides. If you captured the flash on camera, the American Meteor Society is asking witnesses to submit reports and video to help researchers refine the object's path and brightness. You can use the AMS reporting form to share your clips and observations.
