South-Carolina
Hundreds in South Carolina witness ball of fire plummeting to earth, officials confirm
A fireball fell from the sky June 26 around Noon as several hundred witnesses recalled the event. People in several states said they saw the fireball and at least one home received damage in Georgia.
If you thought you saw something that resembled a large ball of fire plummeting to earth at a high speed around noon on June 26, you were not alone.
There were numerous reports from people around the Lowcountry and the Upstate of what officials confirmed to be a large fireball falling from the sky on June 26.
“Many reports of a fireball across the Southeast U.S.,” the National Weather Service in Charleston posted on its Facebook page. “It is not certain, but the satellite-based lightning detection shows a streak within a cloud-free sky over the NC/VA border, over Gasburg, VA. This streak was detected between 11:51 a.m. and 11:56 a.m.”
The American Meteor Society had 100 witness reports on June 26, which it lists as Major Fireball Events, on its website. Reports were from witnesses who saw the fireball all around South Carolina, including reports from Greenwood, Anderson, Clemson, and Simpsonville.
A large number of people in Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties witnessed the fireball and shared their experiences on social media. The fireball was also reported to have been seen in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
“I saw something, burning white-hot, fall from the sky off 278 near Sun City,” Lori Day Harty, a Hardeeville resident, posted on the Jasper County ask and answer social media page.
“I saw it too in Bluffton,” Ridgeland resident Juliana Horton posted.
A witness from Savannah, Ga., listed on the American Meteorological Society’s website, and referred to as Joseph L., described the fireball as “bright orange, small in size.”
One of the witnesses in Anderson, referred to as Ralph H., said, “I’ve never seen a meteor in the middle of the day. Wild!”
The American Meteor Society defines a fireball on its website as “another term for a very bright meteor, generally brighter than magnitude -4, which is about the same magnitude as the planet Venus in the morning or evening sky. “
The society stated that several thousand fireball meteors occur in the Earth’s atmosphere daily; however, the vast majority of them occur over the oceans and in uninhabited regions, usually not visible during daylight hours.
“Additionally, the brighter the fireball, the more rare is the event,” the society said. “As a general thumb rule, there are only about 1/3 as many fireballs present for each successively brighter magnitude class, following an exponential decrease.”
Types of sounds generated by fireballs
Several people reported that a sound accompanied the fireball seen in the Lowcountry and Upstate.
“There are two reported types of sounds generated by very bright fireballs, both of which are quite rare,” the society said. “These are sonic booms and electrophonic sounds.”
The society has a complete list of frequently asked questions about fireballs and meteors, which can be found at Fireball FAQs – American Meteor Society.
How to report a sighting
Those who might want to report their sightings can do so through the society.
“The easiest way to report a fireball to us is to utilize our online form,” the society said. “Information on reporting fireballs is also provided by the International Meteor Organization Fireball Data Center (FIDAC).
Meteor damage reported by NWS in Georgia
The U.S. National Weather Service in Peachtree, Ga., posted on its Facebook page that there were reports of roof damage, which was presumably caused by the fireball.
“The Henry County Emergency Management Agency passed along to us that a citizen reported that a ‘rock’ fell through their ceiling (around the time of the other reports of a meteor and also what had been thought to have been an earthquake),” the U.S. National Weather Service in Peachtree, Ga., posted. “We are presuming a piece of the object fell through their roof. Henry County EMA reports than an object broke through the roof, then the ceiling, before cracking the laminate on the floor and stopping.”
New details have emerged in an officer-involved shooting that left one dead and a deputy injured in Anderson County on Monday.
A deputy with the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) initiated a traffic stop outside of Townville, SC, on I-85 Northbound near Mile Marker 11 for a traffic violation, according to a release from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED).
The deputy requested back-up and spoke to 32-year-old Austin Derrell Robertson, of Pennsylvania, in his patrol vehicle. Once the other deputy arrived, Robertson got out of the vehicle and “a physical altercation involving him and the two deputies” occured, according to SLED.
SC deputy critically injured after shooting during traffic stop, suspect killed
While deputies attempted to tase Robertson, officials said he grabbed a firearm from his vehicle and shot one of the deputies.
Both deputies then shot back at Roberston, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
SLED said the deputy was airlifted to the hospital and remains there for treatment at this time.
The incident remains under investigation by SLED, as requested by the ACSO.
NOTE: The above video is a livestream of WIS featuring current newscasts, Soda City Living and Gray Media’s Local News Live.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – Former South Carolina Lt. Gov. André Bauer has been nominated for a position in foreign diplomacy.
The White House on Tuesday listed Bauer as a nominee to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Belize, a Central American country bordering Guatemala.
It’s unclear when a confirmation hearing will take place. WIS has reached out to the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee for more information.
Bauer was South Carolina’s lieutenant governor from 2003-2011, serving under then-Gov. Mark Sanford. Before that, he served terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate.
More recently, Bauer entered the race for U.S. Senate in July 2025, looking to unseat Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Republican primary. He ended his campaign the following month.
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Six Republican candidates vying to become South Carolina’s next governor met in downtown Charleston for a wide-ranging debate that put abortion, infrastructure and the future of data centers at the center of the race.
The forum was held at the Sottile Theatre, where Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, Lowcountry businessman Rom Reddy and Attorney General Alan Wilson took the stage.
Questions included whether they would support a state hate crime law, how they would address concerns about growth and infrastructure, how to navigate collaboration, abortion and the future of data centers in the state.
One issue that drew near-unanimous opposition was state Senate Bill 1095, a proposed total abortion ban that passed out of committee earlier in the day. All of the candidates opposed the bill, but they differed on what they would do if it reached the governor’s desk.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
Norman said he would sign it.
“You know, this is an emotional issue, but I will tell you if this bill came to my desk as governor. If it passed the House and the Senate, I would sign it,” Norman said.
All of the other candidates on stage said they would veto the bill if it came across their desk as governor, with Reddy arguing the question should be decided by voters.
“The Supreme Court did not say the loudest voice in the ruling class prevails. It said it’s up to the people in the state, so let’s put it to a referendum,” Reddy said.
On infrastructure, candidates discussed reforming the South Carolina Department of Transportation and allowing private-sector involvement to help pay for improvements.
Wilson outlined ideas that included leasing interstate easements and expanding private express lanes.
“We privatized that grass between the interstates. We turn it into private express lanes that can be told we leased the easements on the sides of interstates to telecommunication companies and energy companies, and charge them for natural gas line and fiber optic fiber optic cables,” Wilson said.
Evette also pointed to public-private partnerships and the possibility of fast-pass lanes.
READ MORE | South Carolina governor candidates tout infrastructure, growth at business forum
“We want to make sure that we’re innovative public private partnerships coming in and creating fast pass lanes to allow people that are in a hurry to be able to utilize that,” Evette said.
The final question focused on data centers, with candidates agreeing corporations should “pay their way.”
“They should pay for their water. They should pay for their infrastructure, any roads around it, and we should look at what Governor Ron DeSantis has done in Florida with the large data centers that are coming to Florida. That should be the model in South Carolina and everywhere,” Mace said.
Kimbrell said the state should set limits to protect natural resources and guard against higher power costs for residents.
“Put parameters around data centers to ensure that the water consumption does not impact places like the ACE Basin,” Kimbrell said. “Ensuring that the Public Service Commission makes absolutely sure nobody’s power rate goes up and we try to get behind the meter energy grids in place so they can be self-sufficient.”
Two more debates are planned ahead of the primaries on June 9.
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