THE mystery surrounding a comet reported over Murwillumbah last week may be explained by a resident who presented evidence to the Daily News yesterday.

Baker St resident John Gradisnick said he found the heart-shaped hot air balloon made last Thursday night but only contacted the newspaper after reading about the article about the comet sighting.

"I was washing dishes and I looked up in the sky and I seen this light about 1.5km in the air. It was so bright," Mr Gradisnick said.

"So I watched it and thought it must have been a helicopter.

"Next thing it blanked out and I saw a black shape come down in the darkness."

He saw the dark shape drift over the houses on the other side of the street.

"I saw it come over the next roof and the next roof I said 'Bugger this I'm going to go and have a look' ."

Mr Gradisnick walked across the road into his neighbour's backyard to investigate where he found the metre-by-metre balloon near a clothesline.

"It's probably kids doing an experiment," he said.

"I wouldn't think that the bloody things would go up that high."

Anne Manning, who lives next door to the site of the landing, said she was not comfortable with things falling from the sky near her house.

"I got a fright. Silly old thing I am.," Mrs Manning said.

Tweed Heads senior firefighter Mark Donovan said unmanned craft with exposed flames could be dangerous, especially in fire season.

"I'd be reluctant to do it at this point in the year," Mr Donovan said.

"Don't be buying these things online and sending them up."

Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman said there were rules in place to ensure balloons and the like do not interfere with aircraft.

"To comment on this case is impossible because we don't know where it was launched," he said.