YOUR AD HERE »

Possible meteor streaks across Summit County sky Wednesday

Kathryn Turner
Summit Daily News
Meteor Flying Through a Darkened Sky
Getty Images | Photodisc

Reports of a bright and fiery object falling from the sky in Summit County Wednesday afternoon spurred speculations ranging from a UFO or a meteor to plane debris, according to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

At 1 p.m., the Summit County Communications Center received multiple calls about the object, with the majority coming from the Breckenridge Golf Course, according to Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Tracy LeClair. Clear Creek County also had similar reports, she said.

“It was quite interesting,” said resident Mary Grace McAlister, who witnessed it along with a friend at the Breckenridge Golf Course. “It looked like a bright light falling to the earth … it looked like something was on fire, and we couldn’t tell if it was an airplane.”



The sheriff’s office sent out special operations technician Mark Watson to investigate, who interviewed several witnesses. Because they didn’t have a point of reference, it was hard to determine where it might have landed, but Watson is suspecting it ended up somewhere near Guanella Pass.

There have been no reports of missing or crashed airplanes, so it is currently believed to have been a meteor, LeClair said.



“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” McAlister said. “We were real lucky that both of us saw it, because no one would have ever believed us.”

The two called 911 because of heightened anxiety about fires, McAlister said.

A possible meteor shower also grounded heavy air tankers fighting the Springer Fire near Lake George in the Pike National Forest Wednesday, the Denver Post reported.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.