Fireball Streaks Over Vancouver, Sonic Boom Rattles Homes

Residents across British Columbia's Lower Mainland and into Washington state reported witnessing a bright fireball streaking across the night sky over Vancouver on Tuesday evening, followed by a powerful sonic boom that rattled homes and registered on local seismographs.

The event unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. Pacific time, with multiple witnesses describing one or two intense flashes illuminating the horizon around 9:08 p.m. Minutes later, a series of loud booms echoed through the region, strong enough to shake windows and doors in areas from the Fraser Valley to North Vancouver and beyond. Videos and webcam footage shared on social media captured the sky brightening dramatically as the object passed overhead, even amid light rain in some spots.

Seismologists with Natural Resources Canada confirmed that instruments in the province detected the vibrations but ruled out an earthquake. "The shock recorded was not an earthquake," said Alison L. Bird, a seismologist with the agency's earthquake early warning operation. She noted that the system is designed to monitor ground movements within the Earth, not atmospheric events, so pinpointing the exact location proved challenging....