Police in Merrimack, New Hampshire, say they shut down a section of town as they investigated a reported explosion on Tuesday afternoon.
Merrimack Police Chief Brian Levesque said at a press conference Tuesday that his department received a report around 1:25 p.m. of an explosion on Pearson Road near Grapevine Drive. He said police secured the area and investigation began.
"This is an active investigation right now," he said. "We are investigating the explosion with our federal partners and Nashua and Bedford police. At this time there is no known threat to the area. This will be an active scene for quite a while."
The sound and vibration rattled a neighborhood in Bedford.
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"I screamed," said Karyn Merriman. "My husband said, 'What was that?' and we just went running through the house. Was it in the basement, was it one of the appliances, what could it be?"
Residents who live in the area had no idea what was happening.
"I was thinking terror attack," said Dan Dodd. "I was thinking a house blew up, propane accident."
Dodd was mowing his lawn and felt the vibration.
"Kind of getting hit in the chest with like a blast of air," he said.
Investigators swarmed Pierson Road, where the incident took place right on the border of Merrimack and Bedford.
They say there was evidence of an explosion and debris could be seen, but police have said little about what exactly happened.
They say there is no threat to the public.
"The house shook," said Brett Jaffe, who lives nearby. "It felt like it was really, really close."
Neighbors say the lack of information from authorities is unnerving.
"Not knowing, was anyone involved?" wondered Merriman. "Were there casualties, was someone injured?"
Investigators sealed off the area for hours.
At one point, they could be seen in protective suits.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the mysterious investigation.
Law enforcement has not said what caused the explosion, if anyone was injured, and if this was an accident or intentional, or if a crime had taken place.
"I initially thought maybe it could be a sonic boom," said Merriman.
Merrimack police had said in a Facebook post around 2:30 p.m. that Pearson Road was closed due to "an ongoing police investigation" and motorists should avoid the area. The neighborhood is located near the Bedford town line.
