Gender Reveal Blast Was Felt in 2 States

Some people in towns near the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border thought there had been an earthquake Tuesday night. It turned out to have been a massive explosion at a gender reveal party. Unlike other recent gender reveal events—including one that killed an expectant father in upstate New York—nobody was hurt in the blast at a New Hampshire quarry near Kingston, but it shook homes up to 20 miles away and at least one homeowner told authorities their foundation had been cracked, the Union Leader reports. Police say around 80 pounds of Tannerite were detonated at the quarry, along with blue chalk.

"We heard this god-awful blast," a woman who lives near the Torromeo Industries quarry tells NBC10. "It knocked pictures off our walls." Her husband says the foundations of neighbors' homes were cracked. A woman who lives 20 miles north of the quarry tells the Union Leader she thought there had been either an earthquake or a major accident after she heard a boom and a "deep rumble." Police say the Tannerite, an explosive normally used for firearms practice, was legally acquired and the family apparently had permission to use the quarry, though charges could still be possible if property damage is confirmed. (More gender reveal stories.)