TOOELE COUNTY, Utah — Blasts from the western desert are as much a Utah tradition as Pioneer Day and fry sauce, but what's happening Monday has startled many residents who feel the explosions are the loudest they've heard in years.
"What is that banging?" wrote one person on the Eagle Mountain City Citizens Facebook group. "It's shaking my house and scaring the ____ out of me!"
The U.S. Army confirmed it is conducting open detonations on the North Area test ranges in the Tooele Valley on Monday, with Tooele County Emergency Management acknowledging the blasts could "produce noise and/or smoke" in the area.
From reactions on social media, many claim the detonations are going a bit too far.
One "boom" was heard in a video shared by an Eagle Mountain resident in which the walls can also be seen and heard shaking, with an object falling from a nearby shelf.
Video below shows walls shaking inside home following detonation:
While some have posted that the detonation of "old ammo" is "normal," many dispute that this is anything close to average.
"I never feel the booms," said one comment, "but we've felt 3 just now, and my kids are freaking out!"
"I've been here 12 years, and this is way louder than the normal," added another person. "The shaking unlatched my front door a little bit ago!!!"
Others shared how long they've lived in the area without ever hearing or feeling the detonations.
Residents aren't the only ones getting shaken up. In a post to social media Monday, the Tooele County Sheriff's Office wrote, "No need to call Dispatch, they feel it too!"
