The Minden Mystery: Meteorite, or Misdirection?
We’ve been receiving a lot of information regarding the mysterious events of October 15, 2012 in Minden, Louisiana.
Apparently the small forest town was rocked late Monday night by a blast so large that it shattered windows, damaged homes within a 25 mile radius, and was reportedly felt by many of the inhabitants of surrounding villages. Social media sites lit up as witness reports rolled in.
The first news reports speculated that the tremendous sounds and lights (shaking booms and sparks in the sky) were caused by a meteorite either hitting the earth or breaking apart as it fell.
Via email source to RedIceCreatons:
At first, the Sheriff of that parish had ’ruled out’ explosions from munitions factories or natural gas and said that it was possible that it was a meteorite, but they were having trouble finding where the explosion (or impact) actually took place. By the time the morning news aired, it was being reported that a meteorite struck somewhere around Minden. The National Weather Service in Shreveport initially issued a statement that they had observed ’some type of atmospheric phenomenon’ in the area related to the blast. However this was later retracted, despite having RADAR data that indicated an object some 7000 ft above the ground; the official story is now that it was smoke from an explosion at a munitions bunker, but remember that the Sheriff first said the explosion was difficult to see and locate.
Since then, the official story is that there was an explosion at a munitions bunker. The company that owns the bunker has yet to hold a press conference, even though it has scheduled and canceled two so far.
While what may appear to be bunker foundations are visible in the footage of the ’blast zone’, there remain unresolved questions. The fact that a train was blasted off its tracks doesn’t get much attention in the media.
In a blog post on AccuWeather.com, 3D renderings are shown of ’objects’ captured by National Weather Service Doppler Radar. There is debate as to whether the images reveal an actual object (a disintegrating meteorite), or that they show the smoke and fire plume of an explosion, allegedly 7000 ft in the air. Currently, the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office is calling it a "debris plume".
Those who report for the NWS and AccuWeather.com have concluded the mystery is solved, and any further examination of the witness reports, physical evidence, or the behavior of the Camp Minden Army ammunition plant representatives is the realm of ’conspiracy theory’.
Andrew W. Griffiin, editor of RedDirtReport.com reveals witness testimony, as well as questions the conflicting official conclusions:
Minden resident Amy Mealey said: “I honestly thought we were being bombed. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through.”
Benton, La. resident “Donna” wrote on Facebook: “Large explosion then felt like a whoosh of pressure through house and house shaking.”
Meanwhile OpEdNews.com reporter Quinn asks: “What are the odds, that, at around the same time as people across three states (Miss., La., and Texas, and hundreds of miles apart) were seeing what was clearly a meteorite/comet fragment burning up in the lower earth atmosphere, a munitions dump would explode?”
Good question. Clearly something else happened here. With the radar 3-D images showing a large “plume” and reports from people saying an ash, with large pieces falling out of the sky as large as quarters, rained on to the ground. Quinn speculates that it was “meteorite/comet fragment” that traveled SE to NW and broke up over Louisiana, with a piece hitting the area that coincidentally was the site of bunker site full of explosives. An interesting theory, to say the least. Of course the initial reports were that this was a meteorite. Why would they cover that up? So as not to panic the public about an increase in meteorites and comet fragments striking the planet?
From ShreveportTimes.com :
Explo Systems Inc. officials canceled two news conferences Tuesday morning, which only fueled conspiracy rumors. Despite repeated attempts, The Times has yet to receive an official statement from Explo.
Louisiana state police’s hazardous materials unit has completed its on-site investigation and turned the findings over to headquarters in Baton Rouge for further review. Troop G spokesman Matt Harris is uncertain when the results will be released publicly.
The outcome of the investigation will dictate any enforcement action. "We won’t know what violations, if any, until it’s all completed," Harris said.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also is involved in the probe.
Meanwhile, the blast site has been turned over to Camp Minden officials for cleanup, which is under way.
Aerial photographs of the flattened munitions bunker, scorched earth, felled trees and overturned rail cars now provide proof of the explosion about 11:30 p.m. Monday. But the suggestion that a meteorite was to blame gained popularity within hours of the blast .
Adding credibility for some is the National Weather Service’s report of "unique atmospheric phenomenon" near Dixie Inn about midnight Monday. "Phenomenon meaning people saw something, but we don’t really know what it is," said Ken Falk, science and operations officer with the Weather Service’s office in Shreveport. "Until we can figure out what happened, it’s just a word we use."
By RedIceCreations.com
