A mystery explosion following Halloween night has rocked the Cowichan Valley from Ladysmith right through to Shawnigan Lake with some reports suggesting people as far north as Comox and as far south as Victoria also heard the noise.
The loud bang rattled windows and doors of homes in Cowichan Bay, Duncan, Cobble Hill, and beyond, but nobody seems to know where the cannon-like boom came from.
The explosion was heard across the region at 1:25 a.m. on Nov. 1 — long after the typical Halloween night fireworks and shenanigans had ended.
"To date, no police or fire were able to determine where the source of that explosion noise came from," said BC RCMP spokesperson Alex Bérubé.
Even the animals reacted, according to some area residents.
"The loud explosion woke me up," said North Cowichan's Sabrina Nobbs. "I checked the cameras to make sure the horses were OK. Everyone was fine, just a bit scared from the loud noise. Boomer, who is a year old, jumped up from his sleep and looked outside snorting."
Nobbs said while she doesn't recall it ever happening before, some people she knows were saying it happened two years ago as well.
Duncan's Nicole Jory remembers it happening before.
"I know we've had similar things over the years, it would be nice to know what it is," Dory said, adding she was sleeping this time around.
"I was woken up by my dog barking and my boyfriend, who was awake at the time, reacting and asking me if I heard/felt it," she explained. "He said it didn't feel like an earthquake and was very loud."
The last time a big bang rocked the region was October of 2022 and the blast was contained to the downtown Duncan area. Bundled fireworks were to blame.
More to come when it becomes available
