Central Alberta residents searching for answers after reports of loud 'boom,' 'shockwave'
Residents of Ponoka and surrounding communities are wondering what made a loud "boom" sound on Friday.
RCMP and Ponoka County Fire Rescue Services confirmed to CTV News Edmonton that they received multiple reports around 5 p.m. saying people heard the noise and felt a "shockwave."
Sgt. Ron Bumbry, RCMP media relations officer, said EMS, firefighters, RCMP, and Alberta Sherriffs responded to the reports to try and locate a cause. Officials also reached out to CP Rail to check if there were any derailments and with authorities at the nearby Joffre, Alta., NOVA Chemicals plant to see if any incidents occurred.
"Multiple agencies tried to find a cause or source of these reports," Bumbry said. "We did our due diligence to try and locate a source for these reports but just couldn't."
No injuries were reported to authorities, Bumbry said. Gas companies told RCMP that no underground monitors indicated that anything suspicious occurred.
According to Rob Johnson, east district deputy fire chief, firefighters checked multiple sites within the town and natural gas compressor sites but could not locate any source for the loud noise. Emergency crews could find no flames or smoke, Johnson said.
As of publication, no earthquakes have been reported in the area.
Ponoka is a town in central Alberta, approximately 95 kilometres south of Edmonton, at the junction of highways 2A and 53.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.