Several residents of downtown Columbia were roused from their sleep by the sound of loud pops shortly after 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

Police responded to the vicinity and eventually found evidence that a large box of fireworks had been ignited behind Cotton’s Ace Hardware at 229 N. Main Street, but nobody around.

Officers are looking at video surveillance to determine a suspect in this case.

Many residents reported that they were alarmed by the loud noise and had trouble returning to sleep.