Hundreds of El Pasoans report loud house-shaking boom across East Side, Lower Valley
A loud boom that caused homes to shake was reported by hundreds of East El Pasoans Thursday afternoon.
The loud boom happened before 2 p.m.
El Diario de Juárez reported that the loud boom was due to a company in Juárez using explosives to extract construction material from a hill. It reported many homes were damaged in the area. El Diario reported residents of the Vistas los Ojitos subdivision and the Lomas de Morelos and Palo Chino neighborhoods reported the boom.
The head of Civil Protection, Roberto Briones Mota, told El Diario that a team of agency inspectors and a fire engine were dispatched to the scene to investigate and assess the damage.
El Paso Fire Department officials said they have received a large number of calls reporting a loud boom in different areas of El Paso.
"We have units checking all the locations being reported but so far no incident has been found and no injuries have been reported," El Paso Fire Department spokesperson Enrique Dueñas-Aguilar said. "We are monitoring the situation and still investigating."
Within the last hour, multiple EPFD units have been dispatched to reports of a loud boom on Central and East El Paso. No incident, damages or fires connected to the sound have been found. No injuries have been reported.
Crews continue to investigate.— El Paso Fire Department (@EPTXFire) December 30, 2021
El Paso Police Department officials said they are looking into the incident.
"The El Paso Police Department has received reports of a loud boom or explosion," police officials said. "At this time there has not been confirmation of a location or reasoning for it and the El Paso Police Department is still looking into the situation."
Fort Bliss officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
City of Socorro officials said they also are investigating the boom. They have not found any damage or incidents in the city.
"The City has heard multiple reports of a loud noise which was heard, however emergency response teams and law enforcement have not found any damage or ongoing incidents in the City," city of Socorro officials said on Facebook.
El Paso County Sheriff's Office officials have not received any reports of any loud boom, sheriff's officials said.
Residents from the Cielo Vista mall area to the Lower Valley and as far east as Horizon City said on social media that they heard the loud boom, which caused their homes to shake.
This story will be updated as further information is released.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Loud boom shakes homes in East El Paso, Lower Valley
