SAINT-MARTIN-DE-SEIGNANX (40) 24.12.2012

On 24 December 2012 at about 21:45, a family in Saint-Martin-de-Seignanx (40) watched 6–8 lights for 5 minutes. They ranged from red to orange-yellow, moved silently on straight ascending paths, appeared successively at regular intervals and seemed equally spaced. Some vanished instantly. One witness recorded video. GEIPAN finds the colors, shapes, paths and in-flight extinction characteristic of a sky-lantern release, with disappearance as the burner exhausted its fuel. Rapid south-to-north movement matches the fairly strong southerly wind recorded at Biarritz by Infoclimat. The first 2 phenomena were said to move east to west, but those directions were relayed to the reporting witness by others. GEIPAN gives them less weight because they were not recorded with the care associated with completing a questionnaire or formal statement. It also notes that wind can be variable near the ocean. The Christmas Eve date and hour favor a festive release; the source refers to a balloon-release celebration while advancing the lantern hypothesis. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable sky lanterns.