EPESSES (LES) (85) 05.10.2019

On 5 October 2019, before “Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes” began at Le Puy du Fou, a witness was looking around, particularly at the sky, for birds or birds of prey that might arrive for the show. The witness noticed a strange moving shape that changed form and filmed it. Only 1 account was collected. The witness undoubtedly saw a smoke ring produced by pyrotechnics in an earlier show (see the letter from Puy du Fou). The park's security service confirmed that “Les Vikings” ran in the early afternoon on 5 October, beginning 15 minutes before “Le Bal des Oiseaux Fantômes.” It uses pyrotechnics to create a “triple flame,” regularly generating black smoke rings in the sky. The phenomenon probably results from an interaction between combustion of the pyrotechnic materials and ambient humidity. Favorable weather can also allow the smoke to remain stationary for several minutes. This case can be compared with Lagnieu (01), 14 April 2016. Its strangeness lay in the UAP's unusual appearance, which the witness could not associate with a familiar phenomenon, probably because the witness had never seen it before. The account has good evidential support and sufficient usable data. The case is classified A: definite observation of a smoke ring created by a pyrotechnic show at Le Puy du Fou before the show the witness attended.