Loud boom reported in Wichita, surrounding communities; origin unknown

People in Wichita and surrounding communities posted on social media about hearing a loud noise and feeling their houses shake Saturday. A Sedgwick County dispatcher said they received about six calls about a supposed explosion around 1:30 p.m.

A dispatcher said most of the calls were from southeast Wichita. But one came from as far west as 119th and Kellogg. The dispatcher said McConnell Air Force Base and Occidental Chemical Corporation both reported the noise didn’t stem from them. First responders weren’t able to pinpoint any fire or damage where the reports came from, he said.

The dispatcher said he didn’t have any luck trying to contact the United States Geological Survey to see if it was an earthquake. No one in Kansas reported feeling any of the two earthquakes in Oklahoma as of 3:30 p.m, the USGS earthquake map shows.

This story was originally published November 2, 2019 at 4:20 PM with the headline "Loud boom reported in Wichita, surrounding communities; origin unknown."