Deputies: Large explosion caused by Tannerite in Lancaster County neighborhood

INDIAN LAND, S.C. — Lancaster County Public Safety received a dozen calls Tuesday night from residents who heard a loud noise and explosion. Some neighbors told Channel 9 they could feel the blast inside their homes.

"It was just a loud boom and alarming," neighbor Rodger Massey said. "Some of the neighbors started calling, what was that down there, what was going on."

The calls came from neighbors in the Shelly Woods subdivision, Green Pond Road and Laurel Hill Road in Indian Land.

Deputies went to the area and discovered the source of the complaints at a home on Laurel Hill Road. They found a tree that had been knocked down and debris from the tree was scattered near the home.

Deputies spoke to the homeowner, who said two friends had been at his house earlier with Tannerite, a kit containing two powders that explode when they are mixed and hit by a bullet.

Investigators said the two friends put Tannerite in a tree at them home and then shot it, sparking the large explosion. Deputies believe the pair used three to four times the recommended amount of Tannerite.

Tannerite is commonly used as an exploding target and is legally purchased.

There were no reports of injuries.

The sheriff’s office is investigating to determine what occurred, why and whether any laws were violated.

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