HURRICANE — Something that sounded like a loud explosion was heard across the Hurricane Valley near the county jail Thursday evening, flooding the dispatch center with calls and causing law enforcement officers to respond to the facility.
At 6 p.m. St. George Communications Center began receiving numerous calls from Hurricane residents reporting what sounded like a loud explosion near Purgatory Correctional Facility, Washington County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Crouse said.
Initially, a loud boom was reported on the west side of the correctional facility but was soon followed by a flood of calls from concerned residents from throughout Hurricane with similar reports.
One witness reported seeing an explosive device being thrown from a vehicle near Purgatory, Crouse said, but that report was dismissed after a preliminary investigation.
“There are no indications of any direct threat to Purgatory or to the community,” Crouse said.
Officers with Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Hurricane City Police Department responded to the scene, and Hurricane police continue to patrol the area.
No damage or injuries had been reported, Crouse said around 8:15 p.m. Police have yet to determine the nature of the explosion, he said, and the incident is still under investigation.
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That’s not the Hurricane Valley; it’s Purgatory Valley. The Hurricane Valley is where the original town of Hurricane is located, quite a few miles away, and it is doubtful anyone would have heard such a sound that far away.
Perhaps, SteveSGU – those who reported hearing the sound were described by the sheriff’s deputy as coming from the east to the west, from one end to the other.