A gender reveal party was discovered to be the source of an explosion in New Hampshire this week which created shockwaves felt in multiple towns.
Officers in Kingston, a town not far from the Massachusetts border, received reports of a loud explosion on Tuesday evening around 7pm.
They responded to Torromeo quarry where they found people who acknowledged they were holding a gender reveal party with explosives.
The person who purchased and detonated the explosives has since turned himself into police but has not been identified.
Officers in Kingston, a town not far from the Massachusetts border, received reports of a loud explosion on Tuesday evening around 7pm. They responded to Torromeo quarry (pictured) where they found people who acknowledged they were holding a gender reveal party with explosives
The shockwaves caused by the gender reveal explosion were so strong that this video doorbell visibly shook
The force of the explosion, which was even felt in Massachusetts – the next state over – led some to speculate that the rumblings had been caused by an earthquake, though this has now been proven untrue.
The source of the blast was 80lbs (36kg) of the Tannerite explosive, which is sold over-the-counter for use in firearms practise, and was blown up with blue chalk to create blue smoke for the gender reveal.
The family thought the quarry would be the safest spot to blow up the material, which is typically sold over the counter as a target for firearms practice, police said.
Nearby residents said the blast rocked their homes. Some reported property damage, NBC 10 Boston reported.
‘We heard this god-awful blast,’ Sara Taglieri, who lives in a home that abuts the quarry, told the television station.
‘It knocked pictures off our walls … I’m all up for silliness and whatnot, but that was extreme.’
The person who purchased and detonated the explosives has turned himself into police but has not been identified. Pictured: A view of the Torromeo quarry
Residents who live near the property claim that the explosion was so powerful that it has caused structural damage to the foundations of their properties
Ms Taglieri’s husband, Matt, told the TV station that neighbours reported cracks in the foundation of their homes.
Video footage obtained by CBSN Boston showed the effects of the blast on buildings within the shockwave radius, with a smart doorbell visibly shaking as a result of the blast.
Additionally, some local residents claim that their tap water has turned brown following the explosion, with Maggie Jasmin and her family now choosing to drink from bottles instead, New Hampshire Union-Leader reports.
Police are investigating reports of property damage and are considering whether to file charges.
No injuries were reported but officers said they had seen a video of the reveal which showed the child was a boy, NBC Boston reports.
Police said an investigation is ongoing.
The enormous explosion is just another example in a series of dangerous gender reveal parties.
Last month, two pilots, who were releasing a pink substance in the sky for a reveal party, were killed when they crashed into the sea just off Cancun, Mexico, FOX News reports.
In an incident last year, 7,000 acres of land suffered fire damage as a result of a smoke machine used during a gender reveal party, while back in April 2017, an off-duty US border patrol agent caused $8million of damage to 47,000 acres of land by shooting a blue-coloured explosive.