And if it did somehow, presumably there'd be fragments left when the smoke cleared. In this case there don't appear to be. Fireworks set off by a mischief-maker somewhere nearby. Ball lightning, a poorly understood atmospheric phenomenon sometimes called St. Elmo's Fire. Space junk, perhaps of unusual composition that would keep it glowing as it drew near the ground.
Space is that vast, and our knowledge of it that limited.
For example, he'd like to get the soil tested for residue associated with ball lightning. We wish him well in his quest, and the same for anyone else who joins in. In the end, whether they're solved or not, mysteries serve two important purposes. The first is to remind us that we're not masters of the universe but its guests. We're a creature prone to arrogance, and there's something to be said for events that remind us of how little we know, let alone control.