Lake Forest 'Meteor' Turns Out to Be Firecracker

A loud explosion that woke up a large swath of Foothill Ranch early Tuesday turned out to be nothing more than a commercial firecracker, an Orange County Sheriff's Department official said.

Around 12:15 a.m., the department started receiving calls from residents near the intersection of Portola Parkway and Alton Parkway. The Los Angeles Times reported initial speculation the blast was caused by a meteor, but Lt. Jeff Hallock of the OCSD said that wasn't the case.

"It wasn't a meteor strike -- I don't know where that started," Hallock said Wednesday afternoon. "They found remnants of paper that indicated it was some sort of firework. The hazardous device squad came out today and determined it was a commercial firework."

The neighborhoods in the area abut a large area of wilderness, and some residents reported hearing the blast and seeing a bright flash of light from that direction.