Emergency personnel are continuing their efforts to determine the source of a hole reported early Monday morning in Midway with an orange flame shooting 10 to 12 feet into the air for about 45 minutes.Baxter County Office of Emergency Services Director Jim Sierzchula says an employee of Black Hills Energy responded to the scene, reporting temperature readings of 1,200-1,600 degrees but confirming the source of the flame was not a gas line.
Sierzchula says he has been in contact with the National Weather Service pursuing the possibility of a lightening strike. However, photos from the NWS do not appear like the Midway hole.
Sierzchula says he has contacted the property owner who advised he had mowed in the area over the weekend, and the hole was not there at that time.
Some have speculated perhaps the hole is the site of a meteor strike. But at this time, the hole and the fire remain a mystery.
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