(UPDATE, JANUARY 31) The Public Affairs Office at Malmstrom Air Force Base sent the following message to KRTV on Sunday morning:
Malmstrom erred in reporting to you on Friday that the loud explosions heard on the east side of town were not ours. The EOD and REDHORSE demolition teams were conducting training on base. We strive to be 100% transparent as a trusted and respected part of the community, but we didn’t get it right this time. We will review our internal procedures to see where we can eliminate the chances that such an error will occur again.
"EOD" is the acronym for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. REDHORSE is a civil-engineering unit at Malmstrom.
(1st REPORT, JANUARY 29) We have received several reports of a loud sounds and even some shaking on the east side of Great Falls.
- We live on 51 street south and for the second time today we had a large sound that shook our house. Is some testing going on at the base?
- Have you guys heard anything about the house rattling booms/explosions on the eastside of town? Maybe it's just something at the base but I've heard and felt 3 in the last hour. Just curious if you could give me some insight/peace of mind.
- What is the big banging by the base area?
- Loud concussions on the east side of town. Like, loud. I havent heard anything like it since I was in the service. Any idea what's going on?
At this point, we do not know the cause. A spokesperson at Malmstrom Air Force say that it is not the result of anything happening at the base. We are trying to contact the Cascade County Sheriff's Office and the Great Falls Police Department to see if they have any information about this, and we will let you know if we find out.
- UPDATE: A person sent the following message to KRTV: "My husband is lead on the demo team and they were doing some blasting for training on Malmstrom."
