BEMIDJI — A meteorite hitting Earth’s atmosphere Monday night, Nov. 12, is speculated to have caused a flash of light followed by an incredibly loud boom experienced by a large swath of northwestern Minnesota residents.
A video provided to Beltrami County Emergency Management by a resident in Bemidji's Nymore neighborhood captured the flash and the boom at about 6:40 p.m.
Not knowing what it was, deputies and police officers began checking power substations and power pole transformers, a news release stated.
Sheriff Jason Riggs said phones in the 911 dispatch were ringing off the hook, but there weren’t any indications of damage as of late last night.
"If something were to happen where this would have been an explosion we would have gotten some calls and kind of been directed toward a specific area," Riggs said. "So I think — and you know, there's no telling — but the fact that it was heard in multiple locations with no clear, pinpoint accuracy leads me to believe it was probably higher in the sky."
Riggs said it’s only speculation so far and the county will follow up with other agencies today to learn more.
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