Heard a boom in Columbia or Lexington, SC? State emergency agency says this caused it
Heard a loud noise or boom Friday evening in Richland or Lexington county? There are two theories about the cause.
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division said a relief valve on a natural gas line near the Saluda Dam caused the sound.
The relief valve activated to prevent a rupture of the gas line, according to the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, which deals with utility providers in the state, the emergency division said.
“Safety systems worked as intended,” the emergency division said. “There is no danger to residents. Crews are working on the line, so you can expect the smell of gas in the area. This natural gas line is not owned by Dominion Energy. The Saluda Dam at Lake Murray is fine.”
Adam Zweimiller drove over dam as the gas burned off, according to a social media post. He described the sound as a “deafening noise outside like someone lit ALL the fireworks.”
“You can smell the gas. Can’t see the source of the sound but the area below the dam is lit up like a fire,” he wrote.
Dominion Energy, which clarified the incident did not involve any of its facilities, said “There was a temporary release of pressure from a natural gas regulating station near Lake Murray.”
Police and Dominion Energy crews responded to the scene.
But something else may have caused the boom.
Early Saturday morning, the United States Geological Survey reported a 2.4 magnitude earthquake shook Columbia. The quake’s epicenter was less than a mile from Columbia and it started about 8:30 p.m.
That magnitude of an earthquake is considered minor..
Almost exactly a year ago, an earthquake near Cayce caused what Chris Jackson of Carolina Weather Group described as a “sharp loud boom.” Others reported hearing a boom with the minor quake a year ago.
“I am not a seismologist, but I have been home for all except 1 of the earthquakes in the last 3 years or so and the rumbles and sounds I heard were literally identical in sound,” Jackson said after Friday night’s boom.
People on social media described feeling rumbling along with the sound, which some called a “sonic boom.”
South Carolina has about 10 to 15 earthquakes a year, according to the state’s Emergency Management Division.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 11:46 PM.