A chunk of the meteor seen over Texas on Saturday landed inside a north Houston home and left a fist-sized gash in its roof, according to the Ponderosa Fire Department.
The meteorite pierced a home near Interstate 45 and Farm to Market Road 1960, leading to an emergency call from a resident at around 4:40 or 4:50 p.m., said James Dickerson, a district fire chief. The rock appeared to come from the meteor that entered the atmosphere and traveled over Texas late Saturday afternoon.
The rock tore through the floor of the home northwest of Bush International Airport before rebounding to the ceiling and puncturing more sheet rock, said Dickerson, who remained at the station while the crew responded. The resident placed the meteorite in a Ziploc bag and was attempting to contact an authority who could verify the incident, he added.
“The rock tells the story, not really us,” Dickerson said on Sunday.
Dickerson said the fire response was relatively uneventful until crews realized the rock was likely a meteorite based on news reports they saw after leaving the home. Fire crews made sure they relayed the news to the resident.
“By that time, there was calls and news crews here, and the whole city went crazy,” he said.
A scientist working on “some triangulation and some scientific studies” called the fire department for information, Dickerson added.
He said the call to the home was “once in a lifetime” for the fire crew.
This story will be updated.
This article originally published at Texas meteorite punctured north Houston home, Ponderosa Fire Department says.