INDIANA — A loud “boom” was heard throughout several Indiana counties Wednesday afternoon leading many agencies to scramble to try and determine the source of the noise and leaving them with unanswered questions. But others believe it was two fireballs.
A loud boom or explosion was reportedly heard from 12:18 p.m. through 12:44 p.m. in Monroe, Brown, Johnson, Decatur, Bartholomew, Jackson, Jennings, and Owens counties.
According to Monroe County EMA, crews and police officers were sent out to investigate and search for any possible damage or remnants of an explosion. So far, they were unable to determine any source for the noise in Monroe County. “Monroe County Central Dispatch is aware of the loud possible explosion that was heard from many areas within the county. Fire and Law Enforcement Officials are investigating countywide. There have been reports that this event has been heard in surrounding counties. No issues have been found within Monroe County at this time.”
Brown County EMA also searched for a source but was unable to find a confirmed source.
Initial online speculation suggested perhaps the sound originated from Camp Atterbury where a detonation or live-fire training may have been the culprit behind the thunderous boom. The Indiana National Guard confirmed no fire, explosion, denotation fire or live-fire training had occurred at Camp Atterbury on Wednesday.
The American Meteor Society confirmed two reports of a large fireball right after reports of the loud boom and that may be the culprit of the noise. A fireball is a bright meteor, according to the American Meteor Society. It’s generally brighter than the planet Venus if seen in morning or evening skies.
The organization has not confirmed what type of fireball it was and says it still needs more reports to calculate an accurate trajectory.
