What Was The Strange Noise In Cantonment Last Night? Not A Fire Breathing Dragon

January 5, 2017

Numerous readers contacted NorthEscambia.com about a strange, loud noise in Cantonment Wednesday night. A couple of readers even described the noise as sounding like a “fire breathing dragon”.

NorthEscambia.com tracked down the source of the noise, and no, it was not a  fire breathing dragon. It was the International Paper plant in Cantonment literally letting off a little steam.

“Noise may occur if our boilers vent steam to bring our equipment back to service. We are back operating today,” said Janice Holmes, spokesperson for IP, adding that the plant was in compliance with all laws regarding noise levels.

“We always want to be great neighbors by listening and responding to community concerns as quickly as possible,” Holmes added.

Always better neighbors than a fire breathing dragon, we presume.

The sound can be heard from a distance in the video above, and from near the plant in the video below. Reader submitted videos by Alisha Sloan and Brittany Seale.

Comments

19 Responses to “What Was The Strange Noise In Cantonment Last Night? Not A Fire Breathing Dragon”

  1. Danny on January 9th, 2017 4:01 pm

    You should have smelled that mill back in the 70’s

  2. David Huie Green on January 6th, 2017 9:31 pm

    tom wondered “how would anyone know what a fire breathing dragon sounds like”?

    This is a perfectly reasonable question.

    If it attracts another fire breathing dragon to mate with it or fight it, then we will know.
    It being a papermill could just be coincidence.

    If no fire-breathing dragon visits, we shall just have to keep wondering.

    David for Pern and fire lizards

  3. K in Cantonment on January 6th, 2017 11:44 am

    It sounds like bread and butter to us also. I hear it so much it does not bother me.

  4. Biff on January 6th, 2017 9:54 am

    Well I have lived here my entire life and like many love the sound because it means local jobs and local money ! I lived in the village and yeah it’s loud but it beats the sound of silence. Think about that next time you hear it look at what happen to Monsanto do you really want that to happen at the paper mill .

  5. Stan on January 6th, 2017 5:20 am

    When I was small I use to think they made clouds there .

  6. Reader on January 6th, 2017 5:04 am

    You always got that ONE. Person that has to gripe about something. It sounds like bread and butter to me,. It certainly took care of our families and provided for our needs for many years.

  7. Norah on January 6th, 2017 2:22 am

    We have lived here since 1955 and we love the sound. The mill was built in 1936 and has provided for my family, raised 3 children and put them thru college. Thank God for the mill . Everything blows a little steam sometime.

  8. EMD on January 6th, 2017 12:04 am

    LOL

  9. Gatorgal on January 5th, 2017 11:34 pm

    Amy,
    I know a little girl who would drive by with her Paw Paw who worked at the mill, and she would say, ” ewww Paw Paw, what is that smell?” His response was “smells like money to me!” LOL. Thanks for reminding me of that story….

  10. Linda F Hester on January 5th, 2017 9:34 pm

    I have heard it several times. It freaks my dogs out. It scared me to death the first time I’ heard it. Last night was awfully loud for very wrong. But – I think fire-breathing dragon is perfect!

  11. Miriam Sawyer on January 5th, 2017 7:55 pm

    It goes off a LOT and is loud!! Seems much worse the last couple of years!! It is obnoxious when you live close to the plant

  12. Jane Bell on January 5th, 2017 5:09 pm

    I hate to disagree with all of you, but we have lived out here since 1974 and I have never heard it that loud or for that long. It is a shame, if they want to be good neighbors that they chose to do their maintenance at night when their neighbors are trying to sleep!

  13. Donna Sanders on January 5th, 2017 4:32 pm

    And who that lives in cantonment wouldn’t know that it was the paper mill. Everyone know that it puts off that sound when the boilers are down. WOW

  14. Mark on January 5th, 2017 3:48 pm

    This happens ALL the time. Nothing new is strange about it.

  15. Clint wilson on January 5th, 2017 3:23 pm

    Thats nothing new they do it everyday use to work at ip

  16. Mike Honcho on January 5th, 2017 2:53 pm

    This happens every day. So why the concern now.

  17. Margie Hays on January 5th, 2017 1:48 pm

    We are in cottage Hill and hear the venting so often that we don’t even think of it unless it’s unusually loud (when we have low clouds and the noise seems a lot louder than usual). Glad to have IP in the neighborhood.

  18. tom on January 5th, 2017 1:29 pm

    Now how would anyone know what a fire breathing dragon sounds like. I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing one.

  19. Amy on January 5th, 2017 1:28 pm

    Was passing by paper mill last week before the rains started it did sound like a fire-breathing dragon! My husband said Sounds like Money to me!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News