Light over Eastern Washington

I was out walking, looking at the ground, when something caught my attention. It was almost like a flash of lightning, but it lasted longer and was not nearly as intense. I looked up to see a line of light in the sky similar to a shooting star, but much longer and remaining stationary overhead. It was about 1:16 AM PST when the flash happened, and it lasted for about 1.5 - 2 seconds. The trail remained illuminated in the sky for another 30-45 seconds until it slowly faded away and was no longer visible. The sky was completely clear of clouds.

The most notable thing about the entire incident was that the initial flash was bright enough to light up my immediate surrounding with a dull, white light. I was looking at the sidewalk when it happened and it was enough to catch my attention and make me look at the sky. My offhand guess is that it may have been a large piece of space debris burning up in the atmosphere. Did anyone else in the inland northwest see anything similar? Any ideas?

Might want to check out www.ufocenter.com... and see if anyone else has reported this.