Space rock smashes into house after Houston-area blast rattles residents

Alexandra Koch
Fox News
Sat, 21 Mar 2026 22:03 UTC

© Sherrie James

A large hole was seen in Sherrie James' ceiling, March 21, 2026, suspected to be caused by a small meteorite.

American Meteor Society logged over 100 reports of a 'fireball event' over Texas on Saturday

Hours after a mysterious boom rattled homes across the Houston area, a woman claimed a suspected meteorite crashed through her roof — leaving behind a gaping hole and a football-sized rock.

Locals took to social media in a panic Saturday afternoon after hearing what they said sounded like a large blast in the Houston area.

The Brenham Fire Department confirmed it was dispatched to reports of a possible explosion near Highway 50, though units on scene did not find anything.

The department said several witnesses saw a "green flash fall from the sky, black smoke, and heard a loud 'boom.'"

Fire officials noted other sources claimed the noise could have been caused by a "possible meteor."

Sherrie James, who contacted affiliate FOX 26 and the Ponderosa Fire Department after the blast, said an "unusual rock" crashed through her roof, leaving a large hole in the ceiling and in her flooring.

Photos provided by James showed a football-sized black rock that appeared to be broken off a larger chunk of material.

© Sherrie James

A photo showed what appeared to be a football-sized rock with a black exterior, recovered from a Texas home March 21, 2026.

Since there was no construction or trees nearby, the fire department told FOX 26 the rock was likely a part of the alleged meteor that was heard around Houston.

The American Meteor Society documented what it is calling a "fireball event" over Texas on Saturday, after receiving more than 100 reports.

Observers reported the event lasted anywhere between 1.5 seconds and 7.5 seconds, though it has not yet been validated by experts.

© Sherrie James

Debris was seen near the area where the large rock landed in a Texas home, March 21, 2026.

No other reports of damages were confirmed.

Comment: The local Fox station reports:

From the Daily Mail:

Authorities believe it may have been a piece of a three-foot meteor that was seen over the area on Saturday afternoon.

James said the rock came through the roof into her daughter's bedroom, ricocheted off the floor, hit the ceiling again and then landed on her bed. No one was in the room at the time and no one was hurt.

Fire Captain Tyler Ellingham and his team responded to the call after James's grandson checked the attic and found a hole in the roof.

Initially, Ellingham's team told James that the rock had likely fallen from a plane, before leaving her home. They returned a short time later and revised their hypothesis, now saying it likely was part of the meteor.

James said she was a little scared during the impact, but added that she's definitely going to keep the rock, which she described as being very heavy.

NASA has since confirmed there was a meteor that first became visible 49 miles above Stagecoach, a small town northwest of Houston.

'It moved southeast at 35,000 mph, breaking apart 29 miles above Bammel, just west of Cypress Station. The fragmentation of the meteor - which weighed about a ton with a diameter of 3 feet - created a pressure wave that caused booms heard by some in the area,' NASA said in a social media post.

NASA described it as a 'small asteroid' measuring six feet in diameter and weighing about seven tons. It rocketed through the sky at 45,000 mph before breaking up over Valley City.

People in multiple states witnessed this meteor, from Pennsylvania to Ohio.

Witnesses in Pittsburgh reported seeing what appeared to be a burning object streaking through the sky.

Meteor fireball over Tennessee and 4 other states on March 20