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Mysterious explosions are puzzling both police and Maryville residents.

At about 10:30 p.m. Thursday there was a series of three loud explosions reported near South Ruth Street. No injuries or damage was reported.

“We heard three,” said Jayne Rahe, who lives on Ruth Street. “One was very loud and shook my house very hard. My windows rattled. My birds went nuts. My dogs went nuts.”

Maryville authorities responded to the reports, but could not determine the source.

“We have had some calls,” Maryville Public Information Officer Pam Arnett said. “We’ve gone out to the areas, looked all around and stayed a while. We have no idea what they’ve been caused by. There was just no evidence of anything around the area that we could attribute to why they heard those noises. So far, it’s unknown.”
Rahe said she heard an explosion early Monday morning, too.

“It’s bizarre,” she said. “There is no rhyme nor reason to it.”

The explosions did not originate at the Vulcan Quarry, said Carl Van Hoozier, manager of process improvement and government affairs and community relations for Vulcan Materials.

“I can assure you it wasn’t us,” he said. “We don’t ever blast at night.”

This isn’t the first occurrence of reported explosions in Maryville. On Feb. 6, there were explosions reported on the Maryville College campus. According to a Maryville Police Department report, a security guard called police at 1:16 a.m. after hearing an explosion around Sutton Science Building.

Officers found nothing but were called back after an explosion was heard near Copeland Hall at 2:48 a.m. The remains of a plastic bottle and some aluminum foil, used to make a crude explosive device, were found there.

While at that scene officers heard another explosion behind Cooper Athletic Building. Nothing was found at the scene. No structures were damaged by the explosions.

On Friday, at about 2:17 p.m., there were apparently unrelated reports of an explosion in Louisville.

Blount County Fire Chief Doug McClanahan said the explosion had been heard at Dyno Nobel East on Quarry Road in Louisville. According to McClanahan, the firm said there was a sharp explosion, similar to a dynamite explosion, but that it was not responsible.

Officers later determined that an “air unit” at a construction site near the quarry was responsible for the noise. McClanahan said there was no reported damage.

For the latest on this story, pick up a copy of Saturday’s edition of The Daily Times.