The strange fireballs in the sky above the seaside town Torquay in south England have made residents scratch their heads. Twenty mysterious shining orbs appeared at about 4 pm, as the local outlet Devon Live reports, and onlookers voiced their suspicions and searched for answers on social media.
The word “aliens” inevitably popped up in the online debate.
“Spice aliens”, one of the commenters jokingly noted, while another suggested: “The new war of the worlds movie”.
Others hinted that the timing was no coincidence, as Christmas is around the corner.
“I saw them 5 of Santa’s elves”, one joked.
However, the show did not remain a mystery for long– and the truth was less thrilling than a space invasion or Father Christmas dropping by the resort ahead of the busy festive season.
HM Coastguard confirmed a suspicion voiced by many commenters online that it was flares during a training session for new recruits that took a little more time than they expected.