--- title: "NASA Fires Back at Claim Meteor Destroyed House and Killed Dog" description: "A Northern California man and some eyewitnesses believe a meteorite crashed into his home and caused a fire — but NASA has denied that any made landfall." date: "2022-11-07" modified: "2022-11-07" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/california-man-meteorite-fire" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "meteorite" - "natural disasters" - "taurids" --- # NASA Fires Back at Claim Meteor Destroyed House and Killed Dog ![A Northern California man and some eyewitnesses believe a meteorite crashed into his home and caused a fire — but NASA has denied that any made landfall.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* Meteor showers are generally fun and safe light shows. But one Northern California man says it became a nightmare instead when a meteorite hit his house, setting it ablaze and destroying it. NASA, though, isn't convinced — leading to the possibility that the claim is a hoax or a misunderstanding. As Sacramento's [*KCRA* news station reports](), a bright ball of light seen near Nevada County's Dustin Procita's house was likely a meteorite from the Taurids meteor shower. "I heard a big bang," Procita told the local news station. "I started to smell smoke. I went onto my porch and it was completely engulfed in flames." According to the report, people from all over the rural farming region around Procita's house saw the fireball, which was captured on film. When authorities were trying to figure out what caused his house to be set ablaze, more than one person suggested it may have been a meteorite. Penn Valley Fire Department Captain Josh Miller told the news station that although he didn't see the strange ball of light himself, he's taking the eyewitness accounts that placed it in the vicinity of Procita's house seriously. "Everyone I talked to said it was a flaming ball falling from the sky and landed in that general area," Miller said. "I had one individual tell me about it first and I put it in the back of my mind but then more people — 2, 3, 4 — started coming in and talking about it." NASA, however, is denying that any of the Taurid meteors actually made ground fall — and added, in a [statement]() to Sacramento's *ABC10* news station, that when meteorites do touch the ground, they're generally cool to the touch. As for the Procita himself — who reportedly [lost one of his dogs in the blaze]() but is, along with his wife, otherwise unharmed — he said that if it was indeed a meteorite that hit his house, he's going to try to turn his luck around. "They said it's a one in four trillion chance \[of a meteor striking your house\]," he told *KCRA*, "so I guess I might be buying a lottery ticket today." **More meteors:** [*NASA Releases First-Ever Audio of Meteoroids Smashing Into Mars*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()