I was in Phoenix Arizona and witnessed both events (from the city and also from the desert.) I lived 30 years in Arizona, and I could tell you a lot about the area, the city, the way things look in different parts of the desert and inside the city (and out in the surrounding low mountains.)
Every time this story comes up, I say what I saw (on both events) and get downvoted. Please don't downvote me for what I am about to say.
I saw flares on both occasions. They were very obviously flares. We knew it right away during the first "encounter" because Luke Air Force Base (which I have visited several times) is right near there, and so is the training range. When the flares were dropped a second time, it was the same thing. Not just that, but Phoenix Arizona has one of the largest, FLATTEST, cities out there. It's impossible to hide anything in the cloudless, dry, still air of Phoenix. You can watch the planes land at Sky Harbor (one of the top ten BUSIEST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS IN AMERICA) almost anywhere in the city. Downtown has large buildings, but the city is known for its urban sprawl and lack of vertical architecture.
Look, I think the UFO phenomena should be taken seriously. I can be a skeptic, but also have an open mind. There are a dozen UFO cases that I think are just amazing to analyze and discuss. However, I was there for the Phoenix lights (yes, BOTH occasions) and I am always very upset with the kind of talk that goes on about it.
Please don't message me. I get messages every time I post about this. Lots of people ask me if I think this, or that, or if I missed something, and they're always pushing evidence in my face. "But how can thousands of people see a large craft..." "But how come the governor said..." "But maybe you weren't looking at the right place..." etc. I know what I saw. My friends saw it also. It's sad that people think a craft that large, could take up that much of the sky, and leave us without any real evidence. The planes would have to divert around it. It would black huge parts of the city. It would be so enormous and nuts that anyone in that metropolis could photograph it for miles away. The city lights illuminate the sky so well (because of the dust in the air) that it would be observable from almost any back yard.
Sorry, I just get so worked up. The Phoenix Lights (to me) are one of the most interesting cases of mass hallucination, lying, media hype, and outright wishful thinking that I have ever experienced. I was there.
If you were there, and saw the huge craft, that's great. I don't want to argue, discuss, debate, or interact. You'll never convince me. Do I believe that UFOs are important, and need to be investigated? YES! Do I believe something is out there, perhaps beyond our current understanding? Of course... it happens all the time. But it didn't happen in Phoenix Arizona, not on those nights.