AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – NASA has confirmed a meteor caused the ball of fire in the sky that captured the attention and imagination of the CSRA.

It was a fragment from an asteroid that was 3 feet in diameter but weighed over a ton, according to NASA. When it broke at 30,000 mph about 27 miles over Newton County, it unleashed the same energy as about 20 tons of TNT, according to NASA.

While it may have been on the other side of Georgia, the CSRA had a front-row seat for the show around 12:25 p.m. Thursday.

Witnesses lit up the phone lines of 911 call centers, and authorities were worried it was a crashing plane.

John Schneider captured the sight on a dash camera in Columbia County and sent the video to News 12 – and it was one of the clearest and most spectacular recordings anyone captured.

Others saw the fireball as far west as Tennessee and as far north as Spartanburg, S.C.

“I just looked like a ball of fire falling from the sky it was just bright, just looking at it you could tell it was bright,” said Anna Sparks, who spotted the fireball from Dawsonville.

Scores of callers in Aiken County reported the ball of fire, and one person in Augusta reported seeing it from Robert C. Daniel Parkway.

One man even saw it from Sandersville, telling News 12 it was a yellowish flaming object shaped like a tadpole that shifted to a bluish color, and it was trailed by some black smoke. He said he heard a boom.

MORE VIDEOS: FIREBALL SPARKS ATTENTION

That was probably from a sonic boom that some people felt on the ground. It was even recorded on seismographs.

“I was in two wars, and I know it wasn’t a missile or anything. It was just strange to see that in broad daylight. It was fiery orange with the blue tail, just coming straight down. It’s broad daylight, a beautiful day, and here’s this big red thing coming out of the sky. So, this is another day in South Carolina,” said a veteran in Columbia.

One resident of Henry County, Ga., took several photos of a rock that plunged through the roof of their home. At least one National Weather Service expert thought it might be part of the meteor.

That would be crazy luck, because a meteorite actually reached the ground 10 years ago in Henry County.

In 2009, a meteorite hit a home in Cartersville. one of 27 meteorites that had landed in the Peach State as of 2022.

LEARN MORE

Space rocks: Key things to know

1. A meteoroid is a space rock, often from a comet or asteroid that’s floating through space.
2. A meteor is a bright streak of light in the sky that is visible as the space rock enters the Earth’s atmosphere.
3. A meteorite is what’s left of the space rock after it passes through the atmosphere and lands on the Earth’s surface.

After 911 calls started, Aiken County deputies and other first responders drove up and down Interstate 20 looking for evidence of a plane crash.

They saw black smoke in the area of Rainbow Falls Road but ultimately learned it was from a controlled burn.

The Federal Aviation Administration told News 12: “We have no reports of unusual aircraft activity in the area.”

Although meteors are not often seen during the daylight, very bright ones – often called fireballs – can sometimes be visible.

Experts think it might have been part of the Beta Taurids meteor shower. It’s one of the lesser known ones.

The National Weather Service said the object was spotted on the Global Lightning Mapper, a network that looks for flashes high in the sky, such as lightning.

Did you see it? You can upload your photos or videos at www.wrdw.com/community/user-content/.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

A 61-year-old youth sports umpire died over the weekend from heat stroke after passing out during a softball tournament in Sumter County, South Carolina.

Michael Huggins was officiating a game Saturday at Patriot Park when he collapsed, his sister told NBC affiliate WIS of Columbia. According to Weather Underground, temperatures had climbed as high as 91 degrees on Saturday.

Huggins was rushed to the hospital, where he regained consciousness before passing out again, according to the news station. He was later pronounced dead.

The Sumter County Coroner’s Office confirmed that his cause of death has been preliminarily ruled as heat stroke.

On Wednesday, a woman died from heat exhaustion after being outside in extreme temperatures, the Anderson County Office of the Coroner said in a news release. It was the county’s first heat-related death of the year.

The Midwest and eastern United States have been plagued by a record-breaking and dangerous heat wave that has caused roads to buckle and put a strain on power grids in major cities.

Most recently, Nelson was called into U-18 Youth National Team Camp in March. The U-18 roster features 24 players, all born in 2007. Players born on or after Jan. 1, 2006, are age-eligible for next year’s 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Poland. 

The camp is a joint camp with the U.S. U-19 National Team as part of the Federation’s U.S. Way philosophy which emphasizes increased programming for Youth National Teams to create more opportunities for young players to advance through the pathway to the full U.S. Women’s National Team with the goal of representing their country at a world championship.

U.S. U-18 WNT Roster – Training Camp – Fayetteville, Ga.

Goalkeepers (3): Daphne Nakfoor (Slammers FC HB Koge; Carlsbad, Calif.), Nyamma Nelson (Northwestern, Portland Thorns Academy; West Linn, Ore.), Carson Proctor (FC Prime; Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)

Defenders (8): Edra Bello (USC; San Diego, Calif.), Braelyn Even (Cincinnati United SC; Cincinnati, Ohio), Kiara Gilmore (Wisconsin; Allen, Texas), Emma Johnson (Lexington SC– USL Super League; Greenfield, Ind.), Zoe Matthews (Houston Dash – NWSL; Southlake, Texas), Leena Powell (UCLA; Culver City, Calif.), Katie Scott (Kansas City Current – NWSL; Fairview, Pa.), Jocelyn Travers (Bay Area Surf SC; Santa Cruz, Calif.)

Midfielders (7): Olivia Belcher (Alabama; Colleyville, Texas), Riley Cross (Penn State; Chatham, N.J.), Bella Devey (UNC; Draper, Utah), Natalia DiSora (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC; Pittsburg, Pa.), Jordyn Hardeman (Virginia; Midlothian, Texas), Lily Kiliski (New York SC; Fresh Meadows, N.Y.), Ashlyn Puerta (Sporting JAX – USL Super League; Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)

Forwards (6): Montgomery Draham (Real Football Academy; Somerdale, N.J.), Eres Freifeld (UNC; Redmond, Wash.), Eleanor Hodsden (Notre Dame; Dripping Springs, Texas), Mary Long (Kansas City Current – NWSL; Mission Hills, Kan.), Maddie Padelski (Alabama; Nolensville, Tenn.), Mya Townes (Georgia; Aldie, Va.)

By Mark Carpenter

People’s Defender

The recent run of success for the North Adams Lady Devils basketball program hasn’t come by accident. I combination of hard work, a family atmosphere and numerous other factors have led the Lady Devils on a memorable run of the last decade. Another integral part of the success is the enthusiasm for the program in the lower grades that begins in the team’s annual summer basketball camps.

This year’s Lady Devils Youth Camp took place from June 10-12 and included 54 future starts, led in the camp drills by Lady Devils head coach Rob Davis and Assistant Coach Avery Harper. The girls in camp ranged from kindergarten through eight grade, a challenge in itself.

The 2025 Lady Devils Youth Camp consisted of the following young athletes.

• Kindergarten: Kynnady Unger, Maddelynne Profitt

• First Grade: Bryana Groves, Scarlett Brannock

• Second Grade: Maizee Dugan, Scarlett Simbro, Taytum Darling, Ruby Raines, Xyla Conley, Everlee Durbin

• Third Grade: Journey Rabold, Norah Jodrey, Dahlia Pennington, Claire Schmitz, Bexlee Barlow, Jovee Moore

• Fourth Grade: Tessa Simbro, Ellie Grooms, Malia Shelton, Audrey Rosselot, Zoie Hilderbrand, Adia Grooms, Tinsleigh Raines

• Fifth Grade: Grace Glenn, Hayven Jodrey, Addy Mullen, Sadie Barlow, Paizlyn Ramsey, Maya Pinto, Adalee Durbin

• Sixth Grade: Mollie Spurlock, Averee Cox, Aleah Ormes, Whitley Rosselot, Evelinn Durr, Avery Lahmers, Stellar Grooms, Lyla Harper, Madleun Rockers

• Seventh/Eighth Grade: Jalen Michael, Chloee Cox, Laken Mason, Kendle Christman, Brynley Bradford, Kendall Geeslin, Layla Martin, Annabell Groves, Addison Spiller, Erin Waters, Haylee Wheeler, Reese Schmitz, Abbagail Bolton, Jocelyn Duffey.

Summer basketball camps could not succeed without the valuable assistance of the team’s past and present players who volunteer their time to help the future Lady Devils improve their skills. This year’s group of past and present players included: Elizabeth Raines, Emma Pistole, Ava Pistole, Jacee Davis, Jaida Harrison, Jerzi Tong, Bella Gray, Tenzlee Burns, Sophia Barlow, Sydney McCann, Marnie Tolle, Abby Groves, Harlee Brand and Kenlie Jones.