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 acknowledged it was conducting open detonations on the Sorth Area test ranges in the Rush Valley, and that sound and vibrations traveled farther than what is normally experienced.
"We recognize that the unexpected noise and vibration may have startled residents and disrupted their day, and we apologize for the concern this caused," the Army shared in a statement.
Video below shows walls shaking inside home following detonation:
The Army said it is now reviewing conditions and other factors that "may have contributed to the unusually widespread sound and vibration."
From reactions on social media, many claimed the detonations were 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.
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!"