Expert: UFO reported in South Dakota likely a meteor

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The National Weather Service said a flash of light over South Dakota, labeled a UFO by some, was likely a meteor entering the atmosphere.

Tim Masters, a technician with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, said the flash of light reported in the sky over the area around Brandon and Hartford around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday was likely a meteor, The (Sioux Falls) Argus Leader reported Thursday.

"It wasn't a UFO. It was a meteor," he said. "It lit up the sky pretty bright."

"We just know that it's probably just a little rock that fell through the atmosphere and probably burned up when it fell down," Masters said.

Masters said the meteor appears to have been isolated and was not a part of a meteor shower.

Peter Davenport, director of the non-profit National UFO Reporting Center in Washington state, said he received calls about the lights Wednesday. He said the only way to be sure the object was a meteor would be to interview witnesses.

"There are many, many events that occur which, when we get into the fine detail ... it seems obviously it could have not been a meteor," Davenport said.