Mysterious ‘Fireballs’ Seen Flying in Formation Above San Francisco
Speculation of lights seen in the sky early Sunday morning above San Francisco’s Mission District has ranged from floating candles to balloons with lights, but ultimately the strange lights still remain a mystery.

You can see several small dots above the tree’s height in this image from a video provided by Enrique Barrios. (Image: CBS video screenshot)
Unlike a meteor seen streaking across the early morning sky in Texas late last week, the lights in California seemed to be flickering in formation, according to reports give to CBS 5 out of San Francisco.
Enrique Barrios, who took video of the lights with his cellphone, described them to CBS 5 as “like flame, you know, fireballs in the sky.” He went on to tell the channel at first they “looked like flying candles,” but later “they started making formations, triangular formations.” Barrios said he is “100 percent sure this was a UFO.”
Barrios does admit though tequila could have been a factor, as he was out celebrating the holidays Saturday evening. Watch the video he took with his cellphone and see if you can spot the lights flashing in the distance (Warning: Some strong language):
CBS 5 contacted Bing Quock with the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences who confirmed the lights were not a planet, constellation of stars, meteor, moon or alien spaceship. His best guess?
“It looks to me like it could have been balloons, carrying lights,” he said to CBS 5.
Federal aviation officials couldn’t answer for the origin of the lights and also told CBS 5 they didn’t receive any reports regarding them.
Watch CBS’s full report:
Although not confirmed and potentially unrelated, the lights could have been associated with the Chanukah Festival of Lights in Union Square, which CBS in a separate story described as a festival including “dramatic, high-tech sky beams to the menorah lighting,” which would shoot up more than a mile high during each night of Hanukkah.
(H/T: Drudge Report)
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Comments (49)
bonesiii
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 1:20pmThese look exactly like Chinese lanterns I’ve seen launched in my neighborhood. They initially seem to be forming a rising line from a distance, and if wind blows them near you, basic geometric formations from their launch or varied wind reactions (triangles, quadrilaterals) seem to reveal themselves.
Look at a triangle from a sharp angle, then move it over you, and you’ll notice the same thing. It’s Chinese lanterns, folks.
You’ve been Northwesterned. ;) (Deadliest Catch allusion.)
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PaxInVeritate
Posted on December 12, 2012 at 3:50amThat was a great episode.
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alexegz30
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 1:18pmSwamp gas. Clearly swamp gas.
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Kaoscontrol
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 1:01pm“Barrios said he is “100 percent sure this was a UFO.”
Uhhh….yeah. Most things in the sky are “unidentified flying objects” — until, of course, they get identified…
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Seagal45
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:34pmFunny, tequila can cause weird things to happen.
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Tigress1
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 9:06pmYeah, his cell phone camera drank the worm!
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ImJusSayin
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:25pmMaybe its a Squadron of Fairys on patrol LOL
I know I know “Not Nice”
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schroeder123
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:23pmNo No…They are really U F O’s Honest.
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djn1313
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:23pmToo bad the fireballs didn’t destroy this sicko and perverted city.
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atechgeek
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:12pmAnd God said, “Let there be light !!” So he kicked him in the ding ding. – Eddie Murphy
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DeavonReye
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:12pmIf I had been there, I would have said, “Hmmmm, someone released some lighted objects.” And that would be it. It is amazing that people would go to THAT place [it's a UFO] so quickly when, all else being equal, it was MOST likely human in nature.
Very fun thing to do, so it would seem. They look great up there.
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GuruMeditation
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:08pmSwamp gas.
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right-wing-waco
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 2:06pmObama gas!
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48Straights
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:06pmThis was reported on Drudge yesterday so it is hardly “the latest news”. The High School where the pictures were taken in the other article was torn down over a year ago.
Not only is TheBlaze not reporting the real news, the news it reports is old and at best trivial.
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Zatoichi
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:00pmIt was actually Louie Farrakhan being beamed up to the mutha ship.
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Karama
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:23pmI wish.
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paperpushermj
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:58amIt all who qualify in San Francisco for the Rapture.
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jman-6
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:11pmThat would be funny if it wasn’t so true!
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:53amI am beginning to now believe those annoying Nikon ads with Ashton Kutcher. Those cell phone pics and videos are just crap.
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Karama
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:52amNo I’ve seen one of these things. They aren’t balloons or chinese flying lanterns. No the way they move and blink out is like noting earthly, that I’ve ever know of or seen before. The one I saw slowly faded in to life sat still in the sky for a moment pulsating with an orange light and then moved off to my left faster than an air plane in a perfect line, like it had an intelligence and then it slowly faded out just like it came in.
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right-wing-waco
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:46amIt was Bush trying to torment Nancy Pelosi with a fake UFO.
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Depat
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 1:08pmNancy Pelosi is an alien. Stair at a picture of her and you will see her eyes turn into lizar eyes and her skin go all reptile like. Oh no, that’s just bad plastic surgery, sorry.
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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:38amNot yet not yet. It’s not the 21st yet. Come back later.
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:59amExcellent avatar choice…..nyuck….nyuck, yuck, yuck! Those three should be in the next movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKAfXdb5LsA
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BasketFullOfPuppies
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:37amI can’t say that I pay much attention to stories of this type, anymore. Remember the UFO that appeared over the Dome of the Rock, in Jerusalem, and was filmed by three different people in three different locations? I later learned from Israeli TV, that the three people knew each other and two of them had appeared IN A MOVIE, together. The other kids were students at a university where one of them taught about FILMMAKING. You can’t trust pictures or video’s anymore. They are too easy to fake, and there are too many people willing to fake them… for no reason whatsoever.
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heavyduty
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:36amI don’t know about this, He sure was holding the camera steady, and notice that he never lost them while filming them. Not saying its fake, but I have never seen someone hold a camera or cell phone that steady.
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Swimming-with-the-Sharks
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:35amTwas dust on his lense.
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vic138
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:34amThose look like chinese lanterns. They can be quite big, some are 6′. Saw them a lot in Chiang Mai Thailand. During the lantern festival (loi krathon, I think) there are hundreds in the sky.
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Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:33amProbably more of the aliens making sure Pelosi has not escaped.
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Solidspine
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:32amIf you saw lights you must have been smoking something,
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TheBurningTruth
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:31amIt was the Mother Ship returning Pigloski from her home planet back to her adopted district.
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NSDQ
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 11:30amChinese flying lanterns ….yawwwwn http://blog.weddingdates.ie/files/uploads/2009/08/chinese-lanterns1.jpg
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48Straights
Posted on December 11, 2012 at 12:09pmBut TheBlaze thought Chinese Lanterns from days ago is late breaking “news”.
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