Updated 9:30 a.m. April 16
There are multiple reports of a loud "boom" that shook the Myers Park and SouthPark areas of Charlotte around 11:15 a.m. Thursday. Local emergency responders say they are unsure what the cause may have been.
The vibrations were felt by students and staff at three nearby schools — Myers Park High School, Alexander Graham Middle School and Selwyn Elementary School.
Clara Kinney, a seventh grader at Alexander Graham Middle, said she was in her second period math classes when the loud noise abruptly shook the building.
"We were just watching a video for notes, and then all of a sudden, there was a big — it was kind of like a thud. It shook the whole school," she said. "I put my hands up to my ears. I was afraid something else was going to happen."
Kinney said the noise sounded close by, and felt as though someone had dropped something large and heavy.
"We were all kind of quiet, waiting for something else to happen. It was kind of scary," she said.
Soon after, the principal of Myers Park High School, Mark Bosco, sent a communication to parents acknowledging that a "single violent vibration" had reverberated across the Myers Park High School campus, as well as the neighboring campuses of Selwyn Elementary and Alexander Graham Middle Schools.
"We are unsure of the cause and we alerted the fire department and the police," the principal's message read. "We have covered campus and inspected all of our utilities and everything is functioning normal."
Other nearby residents also felt the rumble. The Charlotte Fire Department confirmed that it had received multiple reports of a possible explosion in the area, but failed to locate anything.
As of Friday morning, there was still no official explanation for the boom.
Brad Panovich, a meteorologist for WCNC, said he had seen no evidence of an earthquake or other seismic event in the area.
A spokesperson for Piedmont Natural Gas also said there was no scheduled work in that area Thursday, and the company had not received any emergency calls that could be tied to the incident.
A Mecklenburg County spokesperson also said the shaking was not due to greenway construction, but that there were several other construction projects underway along the Park Road corridor that could have resulted in the bang.
Kinney, the Alexander Graham Middle School student, said it felt as though the thud could have been due to construction work — possibly someone dropping a large dumpster or other large object.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage to buildings.
