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(meteorobs) Re: Arkansas Fireball?
I checked the listed website with the pix of the Arkansas site.
I tend to agree with those folks that believe this to be a simple brush
fire.
I saw nothing compelling about the photos.
That said, I was intrigued with the description of the fire as being
sparkling and too hot to approach. Having a degree in chemistry and with
some experience with pyrotechnics, I am wondering if this might not have
been someone's practical joke, or an experiment gone awry.
Sparkling fires can be produced by burning magnesium used in aerial flares,
etc., which coincidentally leaves a white ash (magnesium oxide) that would
quickly dissolve in rain. Another metal that acts similarly in pyrotechnics
is aluminum. In fact, it is one of the two main ingredients in commercial
"Thermite" which can produce temps that will weld iron. Attempts to use
water to put out a thermite fire can simply make it hotter.
If someone had set off a homemade incendiary device, or certain kinds of
fireworks in the woods, the results might produce virtually every property
described.
This is just my take on the incident...but then I'm not there looking at it.
terry mccormick
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