NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. — The Newberry County Sheriff's Office (NCSO) believes it has found the source of a loud explosion heard in the Prosperity area Sunday night.
Residents in the area around Stoney Hill and Macedonia roads in Newberry County -- as well as some residents in portions of nearby Saluda County -- reported an explosion-type noise Sunday evening.
NCSO investigated and found no reports of earthquakes or atmospheric conditions conducive for producing the noise, nor were there any military aircraft in the area, nor falling meteorites. Investigators initially believed the area where the explosion was heard was too widespread to be from exploding targets (Tannerite), but now believe that was indeed the source of the noise.
According to NCSO, "Tannerite is a legal exploding target made up of a chemical compound, and, when shot by a higher power rifle will explode. Due to the weight of the Tannerite and the land that has numerous gullies, valleys, rivers/streams, and a low cloud cover with high humidity, the sound will carry for quite a distance. We believe we identified the source.