What Caused the Smoke and “UFOs” Over Northern Colorado This Weekend?

It was a strange weekend in Northern Colorado.

The last official weekend of summer is always bittersweet.

You’re saying goodbye to long summer evenings and welcoming cozy fall vibes, and there’s always a fun celebration to mark the season.

Get our free mobile app

Read More: All the Big Events Happening In Northern Colorado This September 

What Was That Strange Noise and Smoke Over Northern Colorado This Weekend?

These final last few days of summer were full of wild conspiracies on social media and local wildfire reports.

Great Colorado Air Show Brings Sky Spectacle to Loveland

On Saturday and Sunday (September 20th and 21st), people from all across the state came to Loveland for the Great Colorado Air Show.

The skies were full of all elite airshow performers and aircrafts like the Red Thunder Airshows, Wings of Blue, and Mini Jet Airshows.

Some Loveland Residents React to Airshow Noise and UFO Rumors

I live in Windsor, so over the course of the weekend I'd hear the planes zooming overhead. My cats started freaking out and running to get a look outside. The noise sounded like it was straight out of some sort of alien movie.

There were a few people online who definitely believed they were seeing a possible UFO.

I was scrolling through various community Facebook groups when the show was going on and I saw several people asking about the noise and if anyone else was seeing these unidentified flying objects.

Read More: 20 Best Colorado Towns for Fall Colors in 2025

Larimer County Residents Report Massive Fire

With the whole airshow-UFO mix-up behind us, Larimer County had a new reason to worry on Sunday: a massive fire.

In a social media statement from the county sheriff's office, an incident in Wyoming early on Sunday morning caused flames so big, they could be seen all the way in Northern Colorado.

It could be seen in parts of Larimer County including Loveland.

Officials made sure to alert Larimer County residents that they were not in any danger.

Union Pacific Train and Kinder Morgan Pipeline Fire Details

The incident involved a Union Pacific Railroad train traveling through Laramie County and a ruptured natural gas pipeline, according to reports. The pipeline caught fire near rail cars carrying hazardous materials close to mile marker 350 on Interstate 80.

This fire was seen 60 miles away from the original scene.

Union Pacific representatives confirmed to officials that it was the Kinder Morgan Pipeline and that the train was about 40 feet from the rupture.

Officials did confirm that the fire was under control by 9:00 AM Sunday (September 21) morning.

Luckily no one was injured because of this incident.

Union Pacific Railroad and the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the case going forward.

Stay up to date with everything going on in Northern Colorado and beyond by downloading the free station app from your app store.

Don't forget to follow the station across all social media platforms for the latest news updates.