flames from nowhere....true

[cruixman]

heres a true mystery. i wonder if anyone here can solve it. over 20 years ago. i was with a girlfriend. walking back from meeting her. at the bus stop. it was a hellish nite. in the middle of winter. as we were both about 15yrs old. we had no house to go to. so we would meet have a snog. then walk around for most of the evening. on this evening when i met here from the bus. it was lashing down. and very very windy(more like a storm) i got her at the bus stop. and we decided we would seek shelter. at the front of the village church. this involved walking along a long closed road. that finishes up. at the front of the church. near the church there is a old paper mill gate house. as we approached. FLAMES rose from the side of the road. in a piece of waste ground. they reached around 20 feet in the air. and roared like a lion. we both ran terrified. to the front of the church. the flames only lasted for about 20 seconds. i have my own ideas what this was. at the time i had no idea. and i wonder. if any other member have had a likewise experience. all replies greatly appreciated.


jim

[StripyPixieSocks]

Meteor?

When walking home one night I heard a really weird crackly noise coming from behind me, looked around and just over the top of the houses was a flaming ball which must have only landed a mile or so away as it was literally a foot off the top of the house.

Was exciting and scary all at the same time but that was fiery and I should imagine when it hit the ground it would have sent flames shooting up...

Either that or marsh gas!

Sorry, probably not very X-File-ish for you though.

[cruixman]

what you seen stripey. was meteors. was it about the size. of a football. and all in flame. i have seen them twice only ever.
both were at the same location. over from one weekend to the other in the early morning. and one of the sights that i will never forget. mine were only a hundred foot or so in the air. but must have landed half a mile or so. from where i was

[StripyPixieSocks]

Oh aye, I know that, the guy I was with was into Astronomy so I got the full run-down

[Thomzo]

There is a housing estate in Swindon which is built on the site of an old power station. There is a lot of coal left in the area and periodically, peoples' gardens spontaneously catch fire.

Could be an underground store of methane gas or a gas pipe leaking.

Zoe

[Annpan]

Could have just been some kind of abandoned gas canister? I'd imagine they are often dumped on waste ground.


So... cruixman, what do you think it was?

[grumpy-gran]

I think Thomzo is about right

[weatherwax]

My FIL in the channel Islands, so fed up with moles in his garden and fool that he is, poured vast amounts of petrol down the mole hole, left it a few mins and then threw a match down it. it was devastation, try explaining why the hedge 3 houses down suddenly caught fire and why there were scorch marks on everyones lawns where the vapour caught coming out of all the holes the mole had made

[StripyPixieSocks]

My FIL in the channel Islands, so fed up with moles in his garden and fool that he is, poured vast amounts of petrol down the mole hole, left it a few mins and then threw a match down it. it was devastation, try explaining why the hedge 3 houses down suddenly caught fire and why there were scorch marks on everyones lawns where the vapour caught coming out of all the holes the mole had made

Sorry but...

[citizentwiglet]

My grandmother, back in the 50s, was sitting with her mum in the kitchen when a fireball came out of their kitchen clock (electric one..). It went across the kitchen and landed in her lap.
My grandfather thought she'd been hitting the cooking sherry until she showed him the scorch mark on her apron...

[cruixman]

HI ANN. I THINK IT WAS TRAPPED NATURAL GAS. OF SOME SORT. BUT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA. WHAT THE IGNITION SOURCE WOULD BE

[Andy Hamilton]

Have you heard of spontaneous matter creation, perhaps it is that. If I am correct it goes on the notion that there are over 10 dimensions, occasionally matter will fall from one dimension into ours. At least I think it goes something like that, quite happy to be proved wrong.

Most likely gas though, with no sun it is a mystery as to what ignited it.

[citizentwiglet]

Maybe it was God just giving you a wee warning not to get up to any funny-business in the bus-stop......

[cruixman]

thanks andy. i also believe in dimensions. but the gas sounds good. it,s the ignition source. that scuppers me! so if theres anyone out there. with a similar experience i,d love to hear. and to twiglet.
god only delayed my wicked ways

[oldfella]

Sounds more exciting than the earth moving