BANGOR — Someone heard what they thought might be gunshots early March 31 in the vicinity of Naval Base Kitsap — Bangor. The Navy didn’t take any chances and locked down the base.

Turns out, the sound was backfire from a truck.

“We talked to people on Clear Creek Road who said they thought they had heard gunfire too, and then they saw a ‘beater’ truck go by that was backfiring,” Sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Scott Wilson said.

A 911 call was placed at 9:37 a.m. At least two sheriff’s investigators were on the scene until 10:27 a.m., and the base began allowing vehicles onto the base at 10:59 a.m.

Base Public Affairs Officer Tom Danaher said the Trident gate near Clear Creek Road was locked down as a precautionary measure. He said the base would go through a sequence of security procedures before reopening the gate.

Wilson said earlier that someone heard what was believed to be a gunshot or gunshots from outside the perimeter of the base. As of 10 a.m., Navy and sheriff’s investigators had not found any shell casings.