Boom Goes the Dynamite!

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY – A loud noise in the early morning hours of Friday, May 26 startled area residents from their sleep, rattled windows and knocked books off of shelves.

At approximately 12:45 a.m., many in the East Texas area witnessed a large flash of light in the sky followed by what was described as a loud boom.

The fireball was witnessed by people in the Frankston and Neches areas, as well as by a few folks in the Crockett region. The boom, however, was felt throughout Houston County, with people from Latexo, Grapeland, Crockett and Lovelady calling law enforcement agencies to find out what many thought might be an explosion.

Speculation has centered on the possibility of a meteorite striking the ground, but no one has been able to locate the area where it struck.

According to the NASA website, “A meteor is the flash of light that we see in the night sky when a small chunk of interplanetary debris burns up as it passes through our atmosphere. ‘Meteor’ refers to the flash of light caused by the debris, not the debris itself.”

A meteorite, however, is “… any part of a meteor that survives the fall through the atmosphere and lands on Earth,” according to NASA.

Houston County Emergency Management Director Roger Dickey said while he had fielded several calls on the matter, there has been no reported damage.

“I received a call from a resident out on FM 229 while dispatch (at the Houston County Sheriff’s Office) reported they had received calls from people along FM 2022. I have heard rumors of a meteorite, but who knows? I haven’t been able to confirm anything,” Dickey said.

He stressed there had been no damage reported but added “… it is kind of weird.”

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].