[meteorite-list] UK Residents Shaken by Mystery Explosions, Bright Flash of Light

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Oct 27 16:04:29 2006
Message-ID: <200610272004.NAA27652_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/news/mercury/hertfordshire_mercury/2006/10/20/residents%20shaken%20by%20mystery%20explosions.lpf

Residents shaken by mystery 'explosions'
Herfordshire Mercury News (United Kingdom)
October 20, 2006

TWO mysterious 'explosions' in the early hours woke up residents across
the Mercury patch, set off car and burglar alarms and knocked items from
window sills.

The bangs roused bemused householders from their slumber at around 3am
and 3.30am on Monday.

Residents in Stanstead Abbotts reported hearing the 'explosions' and it
is thought some people in Ware heard the bangs. They emanated, however,
several miles away in Hoddesdon, where several people saw a bright flash.

Yesterday (Thursday, 19 October), as staff at Hailey Hall School in
Hailey examined their seismograph to see if it recorded the incident,
the cause of the bangs remained shrouded in mystery.

Theories abounded, with fireworks, a power station, guns and even
supersonic aircraft blamed for disrupting the night peace and setting
off alarms.

Others thought an 'unexploded bomb' found in a Great Amwell garden on
Sunday had gone off - but that turned out to be an anchor!

Among those who saw a flash was Alison Gable, 33, of Granville Gardens,
Hoddesdon.

She said: "I'd had a bad dream and was sitting at the front window so I
saw and heard everything.

"I saw a flash. It was brighter than lightning. Three seconds after, I
heard the noise. That was dead on 3.30am.

"I stayed up afterwards waiting to see if the emergency services would
turn up because it was that loud.

"There was a boom but the house didn't shake. I did though! It was far
too loud and powerful for fireworks."

Stanstead Abbotts resident Russell King said: "I heard them here and
wondered at the time if a farmer was using explosives to remove old tree
stumps or excavating - but why at night?"

Mark Offredi, of the Roselands estate in Hoddedon, said: "My whole house
was woken up by that explosion. I have friends in Stanstead Abbotts who
head the noise and thought it might have been some sort of gun.

"After visiting my nan's house a few doors away - she was away at the
time - we noticed that many items that were on window sills had fallen
to the floor."

Also woken by the noise were Patricia and Ronald Day, of Stanstead Road,
Hoddesdon. She said: "We thought it was something exploding or a great
big bomb going off."

Police received two calls about the sounds but were not called to any
incident. The fire service received no calls about them.
Received on Fri 27 Oct 2006 04:04:27 PM PDT