What was that bright light and boom in Bemidji?

BEMIDJI, Minn. (FOX 9) - A bright light followed by a loud boom in Bemidji Monday night had people wondering what was going on. 

The Beltrami County Emergency Communications Center received numerous reports of a loud explosion and bright flash in the sky before 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13. Reports of people seeing, hearing and feeling the incident came in from southern Beltrami County and adjacent counties, Beltrami County Emergency Management said on Facebook Monday. 

"I live a couple miles east of Bemidji, and it rattled my windows and scared the soul out of my dog who was outside and demanded to be let in the house. The lights in the house prevented seeing the flash of light. Law enforcement checked the area as well as power substations and didn't find anything out of the ordinary. There hasn't been any power outages reported," Beltrami County Emergency Management said on Facebook.

Beltrami County Emergency Management initially suspected it was some type of meteor, and then a video sent in from someone in Nymore spurred the rumor. The video (watch it above), which was captured at about 6:40 p.m., shows a "very bright white/blue flash over the sky. Moments later, a single thunderous boom is heard," Beltrami County Emergency Management said. "This boom rattled windows, shook houses, and was heard across much of southern Beltrami County," the agency stated. 

"Based on all the details and now video, it is looking likely this was a meteor," the agency concluded, before later saying, "Initial speculation of a meteor sighting over Beltrami County [is] proving to be unlikely."

Through additional conversation, reviewing the initial video and applying mathematics to the timing of the flash and boom, it was calculated that the source of the flash and boom were less than a mile away. Whether the source was stationary or mobile is also undetermined, but numerous witnesses reported seeing it over an area of approximately 50 miles and hearing the boom even a greater distance away, an update said Tuesday. 

"This has certainly been an interesting puzzle to try and solve, and we still don’t know exactly what it was." Christopher Muller, Beltrami County Emergency Management Director and Public Information Officer, said in a statement. "We appreciate the assistance we’ve received from federal agencies and science community in ruling out what it wasn’t and will continue to provide any subsequent information that is learned." 

He added, "The fact this was seen and heard across such a large area is what is a mystery. What was it?" 

Officials said there haven't been any reports of damage or objects that have made it to the ground. Beltrami County Emergency Management said there will be no more updates on this unless there is "significant development or definitive determination."