Here's why:
* Nuclear fusion requires extremely high temperatures and pressures, like those found at the core of stars. These conditions are not present in a meteor entering the atmosphere.
* A meteor's heat and light are primarily caused by friction. As a meteor speeds through the atmosphere, it collides with air molecules. This friction generates immense heat, causing the meteor to glow brightly and sometimes even break apart.
The energy release from a meteor is a result of kinetic energy (energy of motion) being converted into heat and light, not from nuclear fusion.
