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Residents Report Large ‘Explosion’, Broken Windows
July 4, 2016
Escambia County 911 operators received numerous calls reporting an explosion in the Cottage Hill area Sunday night. An exact cause was never found.
The calls came in just before 8:30 p.m. Several units from Escambia Fire Rescue and the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office responded, but nothing was found except a trash fire on Shoemo Estate Lane. First responders did not believe the trash fire was the cause of the reported explosion.
The majority of the reports received were in the Stacey Road, Quintette Road, Coweta Road and Highway 95A area, including an unconfirmed report that windows were broken in one home.
On Facebook, NorthEscambia.com readers also reported hearing a feeling the explosion.
“Heard a very loud, deep sounding boom that shook our house real hard. neighbors said some had windows blown out,” one reader on Stacey Road wrote. “On Highway 196. We thought a plane might have crashed it shook our house,” another said.
Other comments included:
- “We heard it and our dog did too!! We are near the Winn Dixie on Hwy 29.”
- “It was loud sounded like a bomb going off on Newcastle off of Ashland.”
- “Heard it an felt it at the end of Williams Ditch.”
- “The windows and house shook a mile down McKenzie Road.”
- “Yes we felt it off Barrineau Park road. Shook our whole house…I thought a plane might of crashed it was so loud and shook so hard. It was crazy!!!!”
Residents reported that they did not believe the explosion to be fireworks; most reported something stronger and louder.
Comments
23 Responses to “Residents Report Large ‘Explosion’, Broken Windows”
Concussion as opposed to percussion.
We are talking about improvised explosives, no musical instruments.
As that old evil woman would say, “let us move on”!
We heard it in Molino too
Margie Hays, I agree with your comments. The explosion was obviously at, or near ground level. It was large. We felt the concussion from our front porch. It would be fairly easy to pinpoint the source of the explosion, if enough people would estimate the direction of the explosion from the point where they heard it. Triangulation only works, if there are at least three accurate sources of direction. I would suggest that everyone who heard it, state where they were and the direction of the explosion. If plotted on a map, the source could be found…
I saw a guy that had filled up a balloon with cetylene. Welding gas! It was years ago. He tied a line of toilet paper to it. Lit it and ran. Shook every house for a mile or so out. Big, big boom and no evidence of where it detonated. Very dangerous and irresponsible! Any welders in the neighborhood?
I live off 196 and the percussion that went off around my house was no fireworks!!
Does anyone else in the area also know how to triangulate and would be willing to work in a team to try to locate the area where the Sunday night explosion happened?
I must share again– the percussion was at ground level. Even large, professional pyrotechnic rockets don’t go off at ground level unless they’re staged improperly. This boom in Sunday night didn’t happen in the air, it happened barely above ground.
David, from extensive personal experience, I can promise you it wasn’t a sonic boom. I’m thinking right along with JT…. This was akin to a sizable mortar and would have left a hole in the ground. Definitely not an earthquake, the ground didn’t shake and it was no seismic event, underground gas line event, cave in, rail accident, etc. it was an in incendiary device, above ground at surface level, great enough for the percussion to travel more than a one mile wide radius by first-person reports.
I’m discouraged that whomever said they had the broken windows hasn’t yet posted a photo or come forward by calling authorities to see the evidence, because plotting the damages and witness reports would help pinpoint where it originated, wether it’s munitions or fireworks. Either are illegal without proper permitting. They also mean we have an idiot neighbor in this area who really is careless, selfish, thoughtless and lawless.
It’s way past time for a neighborhood watch area or two out here before our formerly quiet community goes down the tubes instead of being the close-knit flourishing community it should be.
It might be the blow off valve on the pipeline.
FIREWORKS at several houses Hwy297A and Heritage Baptist Church last night and today/tonight. It’s been like a contest as to who has the loudest. These fireworks are the same that explode at Fireworks Shows. They have finally stopped tonight at 10PM.
It was aliens. The county, state & government is covering it up. Where’s Will Smith when you need him?
Illegal fireworks..I heard it all last night. My neighbors have illegal ones behind my pasture on Kathleen Ave. Horses love them Mule don’t! Red ones, blues, been ones you name come pull your lawn chair up!
You know the old dump is off of Quintette Rd, could have been an underground explosion from the years of decay with all the things that were thrown into that landfill!
I would say a homemade explosive device.
We definately heard/felt it on Phalrose Lane- (1 block off 29) horses broke through my fence gate too- can’t wait til tonite! Just talked to an officer about it. Didn’t seem like she was aware that it had even occurred.
A plane? The night before Fourth of July? Lol homemade fireworks. Google it yall
aliens crashed
It is amazing what kinda of illegal fireworks the public can buy from a raodside vendor.
What is illegal to the unlicensed person is everything that goes boom or propels anything into the air.
Yet when is the last time you ever read or heard of anyone getting cited or arrested for such?
No sonic boom. Military aircraft are not allowed to reach supersonic speeds in populated areas anymore.
People so funny !!!
And then there are the crazy ones !!!
The cause is likely tanerrite(?). It happens ALOT here in Flomaton. A neighbor sets it off ALOT & there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s very scary hearing that stuff explode & feeling your house shake. Something needs to be be done to control it’s sales more, especially in the times we’re living in right now. If you don’t know what it is, that 1st boom will make you think you’re being attacked with bombs.
It was professional grade fireworks. A very large triple mortar went off in the area of 297 A and Kingsfield Rd. There was a large flash at the time of the boom. It scared our daughter out of her bed. No need to be shooting off those size fireworks in residential areas.
We do live in an area with military aircraft, sonic boom maybe?