A falling meteorite or satellite fragments could have started the fire that burned down two buildings near France's northwestern town of Rennes earlier this week, police said Saturday.
A witness had reported seeing a glowing object which fell in Orgeres, outside Rennes, where a fire blazed through two company buildings along a motorway late Sunday.
"The CNES (National Center for Space Studies) has confirmed it noticed traces of small meteorites on the maps," which could have landed in the area, said local police official Michel Le Cam.
The CNES did not exclude the possibility that a falling satellite fragment had caused the blaze, he added.
Meteorites and satellite fragments glow on contact with the earth's atmosphere, but it is extremely rare that they cause fires.
The CNES has opened an inquiry. No one was injured in Sunday's fire – (AFP)
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