Blast a baffler

By Paul Dunlop
A BLAST that shook Pakenham on Sunday night has baffled authorities.
Police and CFA phone lines were flooded with calls from residents startled by a noise “like a bomb going off”.
The blast echoed around the town about 9.30 pm, just as many people were settling into bed.
Residents said the sudden bang was a huge shock.
“It was a really loud blast, a terrible boom,” Pauline Soutar said.
“It sounded like a semitrailer hitting something. At first I thought it must have been an earthquake, then that it might have been an accident.”
“There was just a huge bang,” Rosie Webster said. “It was one single blast and then nothing, but it certainly surprised us. It sounded like a bomb.”
Pakenham senior sergeant Steve Matthews said the cause of the noise was being investigated.
He said police had searched around Duncan Drive and Pakenham Secondary College after several residents in the area reported the big bang.
“A lot of people heard what they described as a loud explosion. Police and fire brigade units searched but found nothing to indicate what may have caused the noise,” Sen Sgt Matthews said.
“We’re still investigating but it remains a mystery at this stage.”
Pakenham CFA captain Vince Ingram heard the blast from his home. “My dog panicked,” he said.
“It was a loud boom, we had a lot of calls from people wondering what it was. We had a look around but didn’t find anything.”
* If you know what caused the big bang contact the Pakenham Gazette on 5945 0666.