Meteor shower mistaken for a boat on fire

A meteor shower is believed to have been the cause of reports of a ship on fire on the Caithness coast.

Police Scotland asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to investigate the incident on Thursday night. It contacted crews of boats in the area who found no vessels in difficulty off Lybster. An MCA spokeswoman said a fireball during the Quadrantid meteor shower could have been mistaken for a ship on fire. She said: “The Quadrantids were at their peak with characteristics that could include bright fireball effects.”