Lino Mailo, 44, said he saw his neighbor launch several helium balloons with flares attached to them from the back porch of his north Phoenix home. Mailo said the balloons took off about 8 p.m., right before the mysterious lights were spotted.

Air traffic controllers in the main tower of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport saw last night’s bizarre spectacle of red lights flying across North Valley skies, but the Federal Aviation Administration won’t let them talk to the media.

Ian Gregor, FAA regional spokesman, says the agency’s policy won’t allow controllers to comment even if they want to relate their experience.

Second, Chopper Pilot Says UFOs probably balloons with flares. In this one, there are a few folks saying this event was just balloons with flares attached. However, there’s more food for paranoid cover-up thoughts:

Phoenix police said earlier today they would allow the media to interview pilot Bruce Bates, who claims to have had a good view of the mysterious lights observed and photographed by residents in the North Valley. Police spokeswoman Stacie Derge later canceled the meeting…

And here’s the really important question: Are Arizona firefighters trained for UFO, alien contact?