"MYSTERY FLASH" RATTLES CLERMONT COUNTY A phone call placed by an alert police-scannerenthusiast in Clermont County, Mr. Mike Schafer, advised this writer ofhearing activity in the Clermont County area regarding a mysterious flashseen. The informant stated that the flash was discussed over the scanner,and was described as 'something that came from the sky.' The informantalso held that radio traffic on the scanner indicated that the flash wasspotted by police officers.
A phone call was then placed at 12:30a.m., Sunday morning April 20 to the Clermont County Sheriff's office,where the call was routed to the Goshen district. The dispatcher confirmedthe happening, and added that there was no explanation for the flash. DispatcherPhillips stated that the oddity was sighted at the Fielmans Mobile HomePark on S.R. 28 around 11:30 p.m., and also stated that there were severalcalls received over the event. "We initially thought it was a transformerexplosion, but there was nothing we could find which would tell us whatit was," stated the dispatcher.
A call to the Miami Township Fire andE.M.S. service revealed that they, also, had received numerous calls. Thecall was handled and units were sent to the scene. The dispatcher handlingthe call was intruiged by the report, and added that it was first thoughtto be an electrical situation, but then added that there were no electricalproblems in the area at the time.
A phone call was then placed to theCincinnati Gas & Electric Company (CINERGY) emergency reporting lineto check if any reports of power outages or transformer trouble had beenforwarded to their offices. A check of the records revealed no outagesor electrical trouble anywhere near the Milford or Goshen areas were reported,and also that there were no electrical problems anywhere near the Route28 area at the time in question.
As of this writing, there is no verificationthat the source of the flash was from the sky, as per the comments madeby Mr. Schafer, who overheard the radio traffic on his police scanner.There is also no confirmation that the flash was witnessed by any policeor fire officials from that area.
ADDITION: At 3:00 a.m., a phone callwas placed to the MILFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT. The dispatcher acknowledgedhearing of the event, but stated it was "unfounded" because there was noexplanation for the reported happening. He was on duty at the time, butstated that Milford was not involved in the dispatch operations, as thereports were handled by Miami Township Fire & E.M.S. He did not knowif the flash was witnessed by police or fire officials from Miami Township.
CLERMONT COUNTY MYSTERY FLASH UPDATE:
I had an occasion to be in the vicinitythis morning, so it was less than 1 mile out of my way to venture to thescene of last night's disturbance. Here is the latest:
Slight correction: Name of the locationis THIELMANS MOBILE HOME PARK, which borders Milford and Miami Townshipdistrict. The community is adjacent to I-275, situated on the southernside of the interstate, and on the eastern side of Route 28. At the site,there are overhanging telephone wires on the southern side of the mobilehome community. The wires stretch across several small fields and behinda small wooded patch, where they converge at a small substation where thereis a transformer.
Witnesses interviewed: SEVEN, five adult,two children. Witnesses were approached while outdoors doing yard work.All very willing to take and answer questions, which seemed suprising.
Common features: All witnesses hearda sound. One described as a 'clapping' while another described it as agunshot. Another witness said it was similar to a 'sonic boom.' One ladywho was indoors said she was 'knocked onto the living room floor' by theconcussion. Common term, "explosion."
The flash was seen by all witnesses.Duration of flash, about 1-second, followed by swift cracking noise. Twoadults said it was a red-colored flash, two said it was blue. The fifthadult was indoors watching television with her shades pulled, and she saidthe flash 'lit up her living room." This person also said her televisionflickered and made a "zapping" sound, but the lights in her house werenot effected, nor was her digital clock, which would have been reset hadthere been a power surge.
Two of the adults interviewed were outsideat the time of the event, and had the most complete view of the flash.They said the flash "came from the sky" and originated from a small woodedarea. They said the flash was 'in the trees' and characterized it as a'red smoke-like light' which "grew up."
One witness was very dramatic, and saidthe flash "lit up everything" and characterized it as a violent event,as per his stunned reaction. He made clear that the event was a disruptivehappening, not just "oh, gee" (his words). The witness also said that allthe neighbors were standing on their porches after the incident, linedup as far as he could see.
The two children, ages 10 & 11,were outdoors at the time and stated that the flash started in one partof the sky and worked its way to another. They said it was a blue coloredflash, and it came from an area to the south and worked its way into thewooded patch where the adult witness claims to have seen it. They alsosaid the flash "grew up" into the trees, and unlike any previous testimony,they added that there were "sparks" which went "upwards."
The specific area in question is a smallwooded patch, similar to a back-yard vicinity which couldn't be accessedwithout entering someone's property. There are distant overhanging telephoneor electric cables which can be seen. These cables are some distance awayfrom the actual wooded area. The location of the flash, and the area wherethe 2 kids claimed it came from, is a SEPARATE LOCATION than the substation,which would be about 1,500 feet to the west.
The final answer is elusive, but theoriessuch as CHORONAL DISCHARGE, ELECTRICAL PHENOMENON or LIGHT BURSTS froma meteoric abberation will entertain thoughts regarding this happeninguntil a more satisfactory explanation could be advanced.
Report filed
APRIL 20, 1997
Kenny Young
