A similar fireball was reported by many observers on the night before the the Izmit
Turkey earthquake. It was said that there was a fish kill in the region where it
supposedly was seen, but scientific inquiry followup was not able to confirm these
reports.
"Major" is in the eye of the beholder. While M 5.4 earthquake may not be considered
major by seismologists, if, as in the Yunnan China quake last week, it causes
3500 buildings to collapse, it seems to me that local people would be within their
rights to call it "major".