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Ask Us: What Is Causing The Loud Booms In Fair Oaks?

FAIR OAKS (CBS13) — A series of startling booms are being reported in northeastern Sacramento County. Residents say they've been hearing the noises for months and are looking for answers.

The tranquility of Fair Oaks neighborhoods is being shattered by some mysterious nighttime noises. Homeowners say they're being startled by loud booms in the late evening hours.

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One explosion was even caught on a doorbell camera. The noises are loud enough to set off car alarms and wake people from their sleep.

"It rattles the windows, it sounds like a firework going off in my backyard," said Dallis Stumpf.

The sounds are especially startling to those who have kids.

"She's two-years-old and she comes out, 'mommy what is that?' and she freaks out," Stumpf said.

The loud bangs have attracted so much attention that a Facebook group has been created to track the times and direction of the explosions. It now has more than 500 followers.

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Last weekend, the sheriff's department received multiple reports of the explosions and sent out their helicopter and several deputies to investigate. Investigators say they're confident it's caused by powerful illegal fireworks with the blast equivalent of up to a half stick of dynamite.

Now neighbors are keeping a close eye, and ear, out for the suspects.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please fill out a form on cbs13.com/askus.

ALSO: Swipe below to see a few items on MentalFloss.com's list of safe things that were once considered dangerous. Full list

Clothes
The writers of the 1901 Boston Daily Globe article "Don't Wear Clothes: That is, if You Would be Entirely Healthy..." wrote: "If the doctors are to be believed, the wearing of clothes is more dangerous to human life than their utter absence would be." Doctors consulted for the article said that wearing cotton and linen as well as waistcoats and garters were "a permanent menace to life and health."
Licking Stamps
In the early part of the 20th century, long before stamps became stickers, The New York Times warned against the dangers of licking stamps. (photo credit: iStock)
Gum
We were always warned not to swallow gum because it could get stuck in your intestines for seven years. This is false. It'll pass through you like all other food, but it's still not a good thing to do. (photo credit: iStock)
The Color Purple
Interior decorators in the early 1900s wouldn't use purple. A Boston Globe article from 1903—titled "Dangerous Tints: Some Colors Will Drive a Person Mad if the Eyes Are Continually Looking at Them." (photo credit: Thinkstock)
Dancing
In 1926, the Washington Post reported on a girl who perished after dancing the Charleston. (photo credit: iStock)
Tomato
On the wrong platter, the tomato had the power to kill. Some European aristocrats became sick and died after eating tomatoes, earning the fruit the title "poison apple." The tomato itself wasn't deadly—but its high acidity caused it to "leach lead" from the pewter plate, resulting in lead poisoning. (photo credit: iStock)
Public Transportation Straps
Hanging onto public transportation straps were said to put too much physical strain on women's muscles and their internal organs. (photo credit: iStock)
Girls Playing Competitive Sports
The the 1920s, people used to think that in order for girls to stay desirable and get married, they need to refrain from practicing competitive sports (photo credit: iStock)
Dungeons & Dragons
In the 1980s, the popular role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D, came under fire when suicides and murders were loosely linked to the game. Here's a full list of complaints against the game. (photo credit: iStock)
Sitting Too Close to the TV
Long before flatscreen TVs, they used to emit radiation that could affect viewers' eyesight if they were exposed for a long time. in 1967, a "factory error" GE TVs to emit 10 to 100,000 times the amount of radiation health officials deemed acceptable. The problem was quickly corrected. Radiation is no longer a worry, but watching screens for prolonged periods can still strain your eyes. TVs are the least of our problems.
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