Centreville-area homes shake in late afternoon ‘boom’
Some people in Centreville reported houses shaking and windows rattling around 4:30 p.m. on Christmas Day.
Resident Janet Orser was outside with her dog when she heard two small noises.
“They were close together and sounded like distant gunshots,” said Orser. “Not long after those came the big boom. It rattled the ground and the garage windows. It was very loud and sounded like it was in the backyard, but there was nothing to see.”
When Orser returned to her home, her husband reported the entire house had shaken.
Andrew McDougall also lives in Centreville. He said he was relaxing on the sofa watching television when it happened.
“I heard a big bang and the house shock. My initial thought was something fairly large hit the house.”
McDougall and his wife ran outside but didn’t see anything.
A flurry of social media posts had many people asking what caused the noise.
Bridgewater resident Ralph Kinney said it was a case of “kids old enough to know better” playing with explosives.
The Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and Maine State Police confirmed an explosion caused the boom.
It’s alleged a youth loaded an old refrigerator with explosives and shot at it with a high-powered rifle. The incident occurred in a field near an abandoned Irving service station on US Route 1 in Bridgewater, Maine. Officials said the explosion could be felt as far away as 11 km.
Sherrif’s officers and Maine State Police responded to the scene. It’s not known if there were any injuries. Calls to the attending officer were not returned.
