Sighting in Ambernac (16) 31.10.1983 « Peuplier», October 31, 1983

At about 6:45 p.m., a witness was alerted by their dog barking in an unusual way. Looking out of the window, despite the darkness and thick fog, they saw an intense light that they said was as big as a tractor wheel. It moved slowly, then vanished very quickly behind a row of poplars along the river.

The next morning, following the direction the witness had indicated, a 25-metre poplar was found broken at a height of 8 metres. Its upper part lay on the ground among wild vegetation. The break showed two distinct features: a clean fracture reaching the centre of the trunk, followed by a tear in the wood about two metres long.

Analyses showed the tree had probably been attacked by fungi for a long time, without any change to its outward appearance. Once the decay reached the middle of the trunk, its balance was compromised and a very slight force could have brought it down. Prevailing winds had weakened the plant between 4 and 5 metres up, which helped destructive fungi take hold. A brownish zone and a layer of scar bark at the break are consistent with this explanation.

As for the bright light, one of the laboratories consulted pointed out that many fungi are luminescent and can give off enough light to illuminate a room. When the trunk broke, it may have exposed such organisms, producing a strong glow for some time, which the witness saw without being able to interpret it. GEIPAN classified the case as B: a probable natural phenomenon linked to the tree's fall.