Twitter/Dolly Moore A scene from the unsubstantiated Billings explosion video.
The City of Billings, Montana, says it can not substantiate a woman’s viral video that reports an explosion occurred over the city on February 3, 2023, as concerns grow about a Chinese spy balloon seen over Montana.
The City of Billings tweeted on February 3, 2023, “We have confirmed with @MontanaDES & @GovGianforte that there have not been any explosions in, around, or across #Montana. They are aware of the video and it can not be substantiated.”
Earlier, the city tweeted, “We are aware of the video shared on Twitter and claims of a ‘massive explosion’ over Billings. However, our PD, Fire & airport have NOT been called to any incidents related to this video and there haven’t been any plane crashes picked up on radar #ChineseSpyBalloon #spyballoon.”
Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder told KRTV that his office “has received multiple reports but also could not verify it,” the television station reported.
However, Linder told KULR8 that he “has not been able to make contact with the person who posted the video, and that they have not received any complaints from anyone else who may have witnessed the event.”
According to KRTV, tensions are “high” because a Chinese spy balloon was “spotted above Billings on Wednesday” February 1, 2023.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Woman Wrote That She Saw an ‘Explosion in the Sky’
Ok, so here’s what I just caught I few minutes ago out my window. I saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky. Holy crap! Billings MT.
A woman named Dolly Moore tweeted the video on the evening of February 3, 2023. It has had 2.9 million views on Twitter. “Ok, so here’s what I just caught I few minutes ago out my window. I saw a jet go by so fast and then explosion in the sky. Holy c***! Billings MT,” she wrote.
According to KRTV, Moore “lives near the intersection of Grand Avenue and Shiloh Road” in Billings.
However, fake images soon circulated on Twitter.
A man named Chase tweeted, “I got a good photo of what fell out of the sky in Billings, Montana. Not sure if it was a balloon or some other explosion. Tried to go find it in my truck but was told to turn around by the National Guard blocking the road in a humvee. #Billings #explosion.”
@Chase7601 False. That pic is from this story.
However, the picture he tweeted was of another event and was not from the claimed Billings explosion.
People Offered Theories on Twitter, With One Person Theorizing It Was Really a Jet Contrail
@BillingsMT @MontanaDES @GovGianforte That’s because at 4:45 MT (when she time stamped her video) Dolly heard the UPS 767 at 6500 ft over Billings and saw the contrail of a passenger jet at 36k ft over Billings. She conflated these events and was mistaken.
People offered theories on Twitter.
“That’s because at 4:45 MT (when she time stamped her video) Dolly heard the UPS 767 at 6500 ft over Billings and saw the contrail of a passenger jet at 36k ft over Billings. She conflated these events and was mistaken,” one person tweeted at the Billings Twitter account.
According to CNN, the Chinese surveillance balloons hasn’t been shot down because of the risk to “sensitive sites” and to people as it floats over the United States. Chinese officials called the balloon a “civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes,” that “deviated far from its planned course,” according to CNN.
CNN reported that the balloon is the size of “three buses” and has been seen over Montana.
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