(KAIR)--The cause of the loud boom, heard throughout Atchison County Sunday afternoon, has been confirmed.

That follows area authorities, including the Atchison Police Department and Atchison County Sheriff’s Office, searching for the cause of what was described on social media by Atchison-area residents as an explosion.

Wilson, Sunday, told MSC News the investigation was continuing, saying that the rumor that the cause was due to the release of steam from a railroad car was incorrect.
Instead, he said Sunday, new, unconfirmed information, involving “the intentional setting off of an explosive” was a possible cause.

On Monday, Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie confirmed that it was an explosive, Tannerite to be exact, that had been detonated in the area of U.S. Highway 73, approximately 3-miles west of the Atchison city limits.

According to Laurie, his office, Sunday, was contacted by a resident who explained “that they were celebrating the life of a loved one who recently passed,” with Laurie saying “the resident apologized for all issues it may have caused and assured that there were no injuries to anyone or any animals.”

Laurie, in the release, says that while the Tannerite “may not have been used as recommended by Tannerite, at this time, it is not believed any laws were violated,” adding that the Sheriff’s Office recommends following the manufacturer’s recommendations when using such products. He also asked that anyone using such explosives to contact the Atchison County Dispatch Center prior to doing so.

Editor's note: below is how MSC News first reported the story. 

(KAIR)--The cause of what’s been described as a loud boom heard Saturday afternoon in Atchison remains unknown.

Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson told MSC News Police Officers “checked all industries, rail yards, elevators...[but] nothing was ever found.”

That followed residents throughout Atchison, and in Atchison County communities such as Lancaster, reporting what was described by some as a loud explosion, with residents taking to social media to share how it shook homes from one side of the city to the other, and beyond.

Online conjecture placed the blame on a rail car, determined to be steaming, near 14th Street and U.S. Highway 59, with police Saturday afternoon blocking that area to traffic for a time. However, Wilson said that was an unrelated incident, “known to the adjacent industry,” and was not the cause of the loud boom, heard around 3:25 Saturday afternoon.

In the same online discussion, minutes after the explosion was heard, one commenter made reference to acquaintances using the explosive, Tannerite, but those comments were not apparently visible as of Monday morning. However, Wilson, in his correspondence with MSC News Sunday evening, said information, not yet confirmed by Police, points to “an intentional setting off of an explosive,” but it’s not yet clear if that is connected to the social media comments.

The investigation is ongoing.