Something Is Going Kaboom! in Alameda

Alameda police and Alameda Patch have both received reports of "kaboom!" noises on the Island over the past few days, but the source of the loud sounds remains a mystery.

An Alameda Police Department dispatcher told Patch that the APD has received three reports of booming noises since Monday but has not been able to find the cause of the noises.

The dispatcher said, though, that the department usually gets more than the normal number of calls during Chinese New Year. Lunar New Year celebrations are under way in the Bay Area, with the traditional parade in San Francisco scheduled for Saturday. Fireworks are often a part of informal Chinese New Year celebrations.

Officials at the Coast Guard installation on Government Island also said they don't know the source of the noises. The Coast Guard normally alerts Alameda police to any scheduled military ceremonies with cannon fire — a sound that's prompted questions about noise from Alamedans in the past.

On Alameda Patch's Facebook page, about two dozen readers reported hearing — or hearing about — the "kabooms," and reports came from several areas of Alameda, from Bay Farm Island to the West End.

A comment Wednesday night kicked off the discussion: "So what was that big Kaboom that kaboomed around 4:40 yesterday?"

" I heard it, too! Sounded way bigger than a firework...." came a quick response.

" I am guessing a power transformer. Did anyone lose power around this time? We had one go years ago nearby and it was about the loudest explosion I ever heard," speculated another person.

Other readers reported loud booms on Monday night and two in rapid succession Around 9 p.m. Wednesday night.

Alameda isn't the only community that sometimes hears mysterious noises. In March of last year, Castro Valley Patch readers reported hearing a loud "boom" that was never identified.

Have you heard "kaboom" noises in Alameda this week? Any idea what produced them? Tell us in the comments section below.