A loud bang heard and felt across Abbotsford last Wednesday afternoon (Nov. 23) has been confirmed as the disposal of explosives in Washington state.
Lt. Claudia Murphy of the Bellingham Police Department indicated in an email to The Abbotsford News that their hazardous devices unit – also known as the bomb squad – was at a range last Tuesday and Wednesday to dispose of explosives.
According to the Bellingham Police website, their bomb squad is composed of four specially trained officers who serve all of Whatcom County and the northern half of Skagit County.
Dozens of posts about the big bang filled community Facebook pages, with residents from one end of Abbotsford to the other saying they heard and felt the boom at about 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday. There were no earthquakes in the region at that time.
RELATED: Source of loud bang in Abbotsford a mystery – at least for now
The Abbotsford Police Department said on Thursday (Nov. 24) that they were aware of the reports of the loud bang, but did not know what had caused it nor had they been alerted by any other agency.
A 2016 Abbotsford News article following a similar incident also indicated the source to be police in Whatcom County disposing of expired explosives.
In 2012, similar loud bangs that were reported in Abbotsford were traced back to the U.S. Air Force, which was doing testing with some form of explosives.
RELATED: Loud bangs heard across Abbotsford were explosive disposal in U.S.
vhopes@abbynews.com
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