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Return of the Phoenix Lights?

10:30 AM Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday, February 7, 2007

By 3TV Staff, azfamily.com

Many in the Valley witnessed a string of super-bright lights at around 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Calls poured into 3TV's newsroom, dozens of people called 911, and phone lines at KTAR Radio lit up with curious callers and all kinds of theories.

Everyone wants to know what the lights were, so 3TV did some investigating.

We took video of our own of the lights taken in Tempe looking way out west. There were at least five bright lights holding a very constant place in the night sky.

In a closer shot, you can see one of the lights almost flickering in place.

Some of the lights simply went out one by one after about 5 minutes.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says there is a simple answer to the mystery -- military flares.

"From what we were told, about a half dozen F-16s out of Luke AFB were operating at the range," Gregor said. "They were practicing ground attacks and that involves the discharge of flares."

But many witnesses are saying the lights look exactly like the Phoenix Lights of 1997 leaving everyone scratching their heads in wonder, "Have they returned?"

The FAA offered up the same explanation for those: military flares.

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