The parish's 911 call center received about 50 calls reporting the loud boom just before noon Saturday, the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office reports. Most callers said that they felt their houses shake and that windows, pictures on the wall and dishes shook as well, Sheriff Victor Jones said.
Deputies who went to areas of the parish where the boom was heard were unable to pinpoint an exact location.
"Over the course of the last week, U.S. Forest Service has been conducting numerous control burns in south Natchitoches Parish consisting of several thousand acres which have caused smoke haze in the area," sheriff's Capt. Tony Moran said. That wouldn't explain the noise.
And Fort Polk officials said no military training operations were being held at Peason Ridge.
This is not the first time residents have reported hearing a loud boom.
"Last year, we had a couple of similar incidents which we learned but were unable to confirm that it was Tannerite used by private individuals in the feral hog elimination problem in south Natchitoches Parish," Moran said.
Comment: On Sunday evening a loud boom and fireball were reported in nearby Texas.