Man Says UFOs Were Actually Untethered Flares, Orbiting

About 11 years ago, thousands of Phoenix-area residents reported seeing several lights in a "V" formation hovering over the city. The US Air Force said the so-called "Phoenix Lights" were flares, but many still believe they were of extraterrestrial origin.

This past Monday night, it happened again. Mysterious red lights hovered in the sky over the north Valley, appearing in formations which shifted from a line, to a square, to a triangle.

This time, the Air Force had no explanation. Neither did NORAD or air traffic controllers at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. All said there were no planes on radar at the time.

One witness was Annie Braslawsce. She told KTVK-3, "It was really close to the star, and when it would go really close, and then go fast far away... It was just unbelievable. I thought it was the coolest thing. It was pretty intense."

As it turns out, however, the latest appearance of the Phoenix Lights has a pretty simple explanation. This time, we know it really was flares. An area man who asked not to be identified told KTVK that after the sun went down Monday night, he tied road flares to four big helium balloons using fishing line, then released them at one-minute intervals.

So, does this mean the original 1997 Phoenix Lights could also have been flares, as the Air Force claimed? The man behind Monday's stunt says, could be... but he wasn't involved in that one.

FMI: www.thephoenixlights.net/