A FIERY OBJECT.

While stood in a public telephone box in the small town of Girdle Toll\Irvine in Ayrshire. I saw (Ed) a massive fiery sphere with a long trail of light streak down from the skies heading towards the earth. I actually braced myself for a crash or explosion, so sure was I that the object was that The time was apprx 18.20hrs on February 13th 1996.

I guessed maybe it had been a large meteorite. Or maybe even the Chinese satellite that was apparently due to fall to earth somewhere around that time. At 8pm the news on Talk Radio mentioned that a mystery object crashed from the sky into a mountain side on the Island of Jura and that a RAF helicopter had been dispatched to the scene, as now the mountain was actually on fire. I only caught the tail end of the news bulletin on West Sound Radio at 9pm but in essence it said that the story of the object crashing was a false alarm, and the flames on the mountain were due to a scrub fire!

The next couple of days saw the daily Scottish newspapers awash with similar sightings. In fact Jura resident Kenny miller states that the RAF had helicopters on the scene shortly before the incident. He said, "I saw this strange oval object flying towards the pap of Jura. At first I thought it was a shooting star, but then I realized this was much bigger, about the size of a small plane. It was travelling faster then any plane as if a huge missile had been dropped. It was huge and electric blue in colour."

Painter David Moffat saw an 'Orangey" ball of light trailing an orange and red flame over Falkirk. John Gray of Kincardine in Fife describes a fireball blazing above him, with a long tail travelling at a fantastic speed.

Two male witnesses in Glasgow also saw the object and they described it as being, "Red and orangey with a blue blaze trailing after it." Cab driver James Hammond froze behind the wheel as straight ahead of him was a blazing white object speeding across the sky. Mr. Hammond states that he never believed in UFO's but this incident has changed his mind. Glasweigan Jeanetta Baxter spotted a huge white shining object, which stayed motionless in the sky for several minutes. John McCaskill was driving home on the Isle of Lewis when a blinding light floated across his rear view mirror, "It wasn't a shooting star," he said..... Still the reports continued...

While climbing a peak in Glencoe with friends Adam Drew saw a streak of white light f lash across the sky. He said, "We thought it was a flare and some one might be in trouble. It travelled at an amazing speed without arcing like a flare then shot off in silence."

Civil servant David Gribben saw a UFO heading towards Jura as he left Glasgow's Kelvin Hall with two friends. "What we saw looked exactly like something out of a film when an object or space craft re-enters the earth's atmosphere." Mr. Gribben stated.

Police were called to Neliston, Mid Lothian after reports of an object crashing into a field. The witness said, "It was massive, about the size of a big house." James Allen was standing in Dalkeith Road, Glasgow, when he saw what he first imagined to be a very big and bright shooting star, which seemed to burn out before it hit the ground.

Elizabeth Lahmansi of Edinburgh said, "There was a big star in the sky and it was four or five times as big as that. It was low over the bungalows and travelling in an arcing direction downwards."

Donna Rodgers phoned Edinburgh Airport after she saw the object but got a very stony response and it was suggested that she write to air traffic services in Prestwick.

Mrs. Irene Brown of Musselburgh saw a very bright light with either vapour or smoke. She watched it through binoculars for about ten minutes.

John Reid from Girvan was walking his dog along the beach when he saw the UFO. "It came out of the sky at a really steep angle and was just like a really bright star. I've seen lots of shooting stars but this thing dropped so fast, there was no way it was one of them. I've never seen anything like it."

Coast guards at Oban, Argyll reported a large comet-like object with a tail.

Even though residents on Jura claim they saw an object crash into a mountain on the island and also that a RAF helicopter had been on the scene prior to the alleged crash, coastguards and RAF claim there was nothing more then a scrub fire.

Around 18.30hrs on Tuesday evening, police switchboards were jammed by people reporting the object. In fact it was seen as far away as Inverness and Elgin as one witness states, "It was heading towards Glasgow."

The Royal Observatory in Edinburgh suggested the object would have been a meteorite although the civil aviation authority had picked nothing up on radar. Ron Halliday said, "This could have been something from a different dimension. How else can you explain why this never showed up on radar, and how it disappeared without a trace." Malcom Robinson of the then SPI said, "There is no doubt that UFO sightings in Scotland are on the increase and we are investigating the possibility that recent sightings are linked to the Chinese satellite. About 95% of UFO sightings turn out to have a natural explanation, but that still leaves 5% unexplained." He also linked recent sightings with secret government aircraft which Malcom Robinson stated, "The government would be quite happy to hide under the guise of UFO's.

Another 'expert' (!) stated that what the hundreds of people saw that night on February 13th was no more then an optical illusion caused by the planet Venus. Let me tell you I saw that object and what a load of rot that last staement is. Although when I saw it I was not put in mind of a space craft of sorts more like a meteor crashing to the earth.

Sources.
Edinburgh Evening News.
The Sun.
Daily Mail. Ayrshire Leader.

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