He had just stepped off the elevator when he was engulfed in a ball of fire.

CNN: WTC burn victim recalls September 11

One witness told the AFP news agency that he was entering Jamrud when he heard the explosion and saw a ball of fire.

BBC: Pakistan blast: Market bomb 'kills 17' in Khyber

It helped as well that Casey Tegreene had a law degree, Lowell Wood had spent his career dreaming up weapons for the government, Nathan Myhrvold was a ball of fire, Edward Jung had walked across Texas.

NEWYORKER: In the Air

"You wake up in the morning at about 5 o'clock ... and then you watch the sun rise and this extremely peaceful and serene atmosphere and then you just look at the sun coming like a ball of fire, rising from the sand and then coming up, " recalls Jibunoh.

CNN: Sahara explorer taming the desert

An amateur video said to be shot early Sunday in the Damascus area showed a huge ball of fire lighting up the night sky.

NPR: Syria News Agency: Israel Strikes Near Damascus

McFadden, who will miss the Netherlands after picking up a yellow card, wriggled through a succession of challenges to somehow fire the ball across goal but neither Miller or Steven Fletcher could capitalise.

BBC: Scotland 2-0 Macedonia

Chapman struck on the half-hour, neatly controlling the ball on the penalty spot, then swivelling to fire a volley into the corner of the net.

BBC: England women 1-0 Spain women

And right at the start of the second half May added his second when he pounced on a loose ball to fire past Accies keeper Tomas Cerny.

BBC: Sport - Football - St Johnstone 2-0 Hamilton