HOUSTON AREA SHAKEN BY EXPLOSION SOUND AND FALLING OBJECT
HOUSTON, TX - A domestic scene in Ponderosa Forest, just outside Houston, was violently interrupted Saturday when an object, widely identified as a meteorite, smashed through a residential roof. The incident coincided with widespread reports of a massive 'sonic boom' heard across the city, leaving residents unsettled.
The object, described as football-sized and barely longer than a baseball bat, pierced the roof of Sherrie James's home, striking her daughter's bedroom. It ricocheted, hitting the ceiling before landing on James's bed.
Initial responses from emergency services, specifically the Ponderosa Fire Department and what is described as Ellingham's team, were reportedly inconclusive. They are said to have first suggested the object might have fallen from an aircraft before departing James's property.
Further details suggest the celestial visitor was a fragment of a larger meteor that had been blazing over the Houston region. This main body, estimated to be one ton, apparently splintered, raining smaller pieces across the city. NASA reports meteorite debris was scattered between the neighborhoods of Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing, areas approximately 20 miles apart.
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The sonic boom accompanying the event was reportedly felt as a pressure wave. One report indicates the originating explosion of the meteor occurred roughly 29 miles above Texas.
This occurrence follows a similar incident last week where a meteor exploded over Ohio, generating a sonic boom audible as far away as New York.
