Mystery boom/shake in northeast West Seattle

Via e-mail and text, we’ve received multiple reports of something loud that shook homes in northeast West Seattle just after 7:30 pm – North Delridge, Luna Park, east Admiral/south Harbor Ave. areas. Reports were like this one from Steph: “Our house shook so hard things moved a little.” We’ve checked around and there were no SFD emergency responses for explosions, fires, crashes; also, no earthquake reports. So far, officially a mystery, but we’re mentioning it in case you wondered too.

Jeanne January 6, 2018 (8:02 pm)

Thanks! It was big enough to be a sonic boom.

Delridge Believer January 6, 2018 (8:27 pm)

Heard it from City View. Sounded like a pretty typical Nucor boom!

WSB January 6, 2018 (8:32 pm)

I won’t be able to check with them until Monday. People in the area reported an unusually noisy incident back in October that did turn out to have happened there, but it’s certainly not the only industry in the area.

David January 6, 2018 (8:36 pm)

I’ve lived in the valley on Nevada st for many years… this boom and shake was different from the ones I’ve come accustomed to with the noises from Nucor. This one literally shook my windows. I paused my TV and looked around the house. It was startling to say the least. I’m Very curious to find out what happened.

Green giant January 6, 2018 (8:37 pm)

We felt this at our house and we’re at 36th & Hinds The windows rattled and it sounded like someone backed into our house. Very curious?

Westseattler January 6, 2018 (8:42 pm)

Was like a big boat hitting a dock, container falling or distant aircraft breakingg sound barrier

D January 6, 2018 (8:44 pm)

We live above Nucor and not sure it came from there. It shook our house and windows- we thought the windows would break- very scary. We are also anxious to hear more info when you have it-

Admiral Neighbor January 6, 2018 (8:57 pm)

We heard the boom and our whole house shook. This was unlike anything we’ve experienced from Nucor.

JanS January 6, 2018 (9:03 pm)

that’s interesting…I am across the street , east, of Safeway in Admiral, and I heard/felt nothing…hmmmm. I’m pretty sure I’m not going deaf. I usually hear things from that area

Chivahn Wilkens January 6, 2018 (9:06 pm)

It scared the bejeezus out of me! I was working at the Activspace and it was so loud and the window shook so hard that it rattled one of my plants off the windowsill. I used to loud sound and light building shaking from the train that goes by on the other side of the fence, but I’ve never experienced anything like that. I thought someone drove into the building.

WSB January 6, 2018 (9:11 pm)

If we don’t hear anything definitive before then, we’ll also check with the port on Monday.

Kimberley January 6, 2018 (9:09 pm)

It felt like an extremely hard train coupling

Angie January 6, 2018 (10:23 pm)

I thought the same thing, but I actually wondered if a train had crashed because it was so violent.

Rex King January 6, 2018 (9:30 pm)

Dude people, it was just the steel plant. There was one a few nights ago too. Move on.

Mike January 6, 2018 (9:35 pm)

I’m in South Delridge. I didn’t hear a boom, but around that time, I heard something “outside”. Took a beat and wondered if I was crazy. But then I see this and I wonder if I actually hear whatever-it-was!

NativetoSeattle January 6, 2018 (10:08 pm)

We live a few blocks from Nucor and it was very loud, sudden, and rattled the windows. I called a representative from Nucor and he hadn’t heard of anything and was going to call in to check, but I haven’t heard anything back.

Mike January 7, 2018 (8:40 am)

Rattled the windows at my home just east of Admiral Way, above T-5. Sounded and felt like major explosion. Grabbed a flashlight and checked neighborhood.

WS Guy January 7, 2018 (10:40 am)

We live near Luna Park Cafe, the sound was loud enough to shake the whole house and rattle the windows. The sounds and shakes from the industry area are common, but they are getting to the point of annoying and questionably unsafe?

NativetoSeattle January 7, 2018 (11:13 am)

I just heard back from Nucor. It was a steam explosion, just a lot larger than usual.

It used to happen more frequently years ago, but they installed an extra shelter to prevent it and I haven’t heard any ones near this loud in a long time.

Mike January 7, 2018 (12:41 pm)

Thanks for the info. That was much louder than usual.

mark47n January 7, 2018 (1:25 pm)

After hearing back from a mechanic who was there it was a blow out in a water cooling pipe in one of the furnace panels. When water gets in a steel bath it expands something on the orde of 16,000 times its liquid volume.

as far as I know, no one was hurt.

j January 7, 2018 (2:59 pm)

we live in fauntleroy area and heard nothing, but our cat jumped out of ‘her’ chair and ran for the basement…this is what she does with fireworks and seahawk blasts…

Pat January 7, 2018 (7:29 pm)

We get these loud shaking booms all the time up on Pigeon Hill. They are from the Steel Mill. Whether this one last night was one of them only louder or something else I don’t know.

Tony S January 7, 2018 (10:12 pm)

Yeah, definitely bigger than the “usual”. That shook the house (btwn 37th and Stevens). All the other Nucor steam bursts haven’t done that before.

ASea January 9, 2018 (10:14 am)

I would like to hear an official statement from Nucor about the sounds and booms coming from this facility assuming that where the sound and shake came from that night.

sam-c January 9, 2018 (2:58 pm)

OK, did anyone feel that last one, like 5 minutes ago?

Lisa January 9, 2018 (3:05 pm)

1/9 Tuesday +/- 2:50pm. Just had another BOOM, that shook our Belvidere
area home. I called Nucor Steel, left a message with their environmental person. I’ll report back what he has to say.

WSB January 9, 2018 (3:20 pm)

Thanks, while we have a couple mentions here, unlike that last one, no one has texted or e-mailed us about this so far.
Katie January 9, 2018 (3:58 pm)

Lisa, can you tell me who you contacted? I would like to repost these too. It’s getting out of hand.
- Lisa January 9, 2018 (6:17 pm)
  
  His name was Patrick, of environmental issues. I called their main number, explained my call, and was transferred to Patrick’s vm. I haven’t heard back yet.

Katie January 9, 2018 (3:23 pm)

I felt it too – near Luna Park and it was so big it woke up my toddler. It occurred at 2:56pm. Seems to me they are becoming more frequent and much bigger lately.

sam-c January 9, 2018 (3:53 pm)

There just was another one. 3:51 PM

Hopefully it doesn’t continue to be an hourly event.

(During a tour at Nucor, I recall hearing that, when they put the recycled metals into the vat (insert technical name for giant melting pot), there are booms if the metal is wet.)
Katie January 9, 2018 (3:57 pm)

And another one at 3:52pm. Big enough to rattle my glasses and shake my picture frames. Any idea who we can contact at Nucor Steel to report these?
- WSB January 9, 2018 (4:01 pm)
  
  I have a message out to the person we are usually referred to for a variety of things.

Lisa January 9, 2018 (3:54 pm)

1/9, Tuesday 3:50pm – Another one. Not as big.

D January 9, 2018 (3:56 pm)

Felt it here! Again- what is happening down there?

howard January 9, 2018 (7:47 pm)

We all better inform them now that we (or ins. cos.) will be wanting to sue them for cost of window replacements and foundation pinning.

I’ve observed my windows shake 3 x now in past several days.

Kimberley January 9, 2018 (7:58 pm)

Just felt another one around 7:56 pm.

Katie January 10, 2018 (1:38 pm)

I felt that one as well. I’ve started documenting them.

Lisa January 10, 2018 (2:49 pm)

I heard from Patrick at Nucor Steel. Yes, the booms were the steel plant. The booms are the result of wet scrap metal going into their hot furnace. Years back they built a over over the scrap yard to keep water off the strap, but this time of year it can be difficult. They are not happy about these booms over the past few days, and try hard to be good neighbors. They are actively trying to mitigate the problem.

Sorry, comment time is over.