MAITLAND, Fla. — A private company testing munitions was the source of explosions that rattled neighbors in the Maitland area on Thursday night, authorities say.
- Loud explosions shook doors, windows
- Man says he heard "sonic boom" in College Park
- Testing could continue Thursday, police say
Spectrum News 13 got several calls about the explosions, at least one from Lee Road at Interstate 4.
They came from the area of Lake Gem, which is near Lake Avenue and Orlando Avenue. There are homes, businesses, and at least one church around the lake.
Callers said the explosions rattled doors and windows on their homes and businesses.
Joseph Lamel said he heard a blast miles away in the College Park neighborhood just north of downtown Orlando.
"It sounded like a sonic boom. I was at a kid's flag football game in College Park. It was loud and unusual, but not alarming," Lamel said.
The Maitland Police Department said the private company had a permit to do some testing with munitions over Lake Gem and that the testing could continue into Thursday.
On Thursday morning, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said on Twitter that the agency would be conducting training near Lake Gem and that "any loud noises" heard are "safe."
ALERT: There will be some law enforcement training near Lake Gem in Maitland today. Any loud noises you may hear coming from the area are the safe & controlled actions of law enforcement, training to keep our community safe.
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) November 21, 2019
We apologize for any disturbance this may cause. pic.twitter.com/aVWrGGmKMX