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Seal bombs blamed for startling Saturday morning bangs in Ucluelet

Ucluelet locals were startled awake early Saturday morning as several loud gunshot-like bangs rang throughout the community around 5 a.m.  

The noises immediately sparked social media discussions as many believed they had heard gunshots.

Constable Chris Squire of the Ucluelet RCMP said police investigated the matter and do not believe any shots were fired.  

He said seal bombs were stolen from inside a vehicle sometime between late Friday and early Saturday and police believe these bombs are what caused the noise.

“We suspect it was the stolen seal bombs,” he said. “We frequently get calls for shots heard and they turn out to be fireworks (and) that’s what we believe happened Saturday morning.”

Seal bombs are a type of firework that fishers use to scare seals away from their nets, according to Squire.  

He said several locals called in to report the bangs and, while these reports turned out to be false alarms, he encourages locals to continue reporting any suspicious noises to police.

“If you hear something you think was a shot, call it in,” he said.

He said no injuries have been reported and police are no longer investigating the matter.

reporter@westerlynews.ca



Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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