North Carolina firefighters responding to a gas leak were evacuating people from a building Wednesday morning when it exploded, killing one and injuring more than a dozen others, officials said.
Durham Fire Chief Robert Zoldos said the blast at 10:07 a.m. involved five buildings on the block and catastrophically damaged one.
B次元官网网址淚t looks like the front of the Pentagon on 9-11 B次元官网网址� but on a very, very small scale,B次元官网网址� he said, noting that he was a first responder during the terrorist attacks.
On Wednesday afternoon, jagged roof beams jutted out of the collapsed building, along with bent sheet metal, bricks and wood. A massive stream of water from a ladder truck sprayed onto the remnants, draining down the street as firefighters walked past. Half of the caved-in roof cascaded into the rubble pile like a breaking wave.
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Now that the fires have been contained, crews will begin search and rescue operations, Zoldos said at a news conference. No one is unaccounted for, the chief said, but theyB次元官网网址檒l use dogs and listening devices to make sure no one is inside the rubble.
A total of 17 people were seen at hospitals B次元官网网址� six in critical condition and one transported to a burn centre B次元官网网址� Durham EMS Assistant Chief Lee Van Vleet said. Zoldos said one firefighter was seriously injured and in surgery but expected to recover.
Zoldos said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. A contractor boring under a sidewalk had hit a 2-inch (5-centimetre) gas line, causing the leak, Durham Police Department spokesman Wil Glenn said.
Jim Rogalski, 58, was working in his office across the street from the destroyed building when the explosion blew out the windows. At least four people working in cubicles along those windows suffered deep cuts, bloody head wounds and other injuries, he said.
B次元官网网址淭here was lots of screaming. B次元官网网址次元官网网址� Rogalski said. B次元官网网址淚t was pretty frantic there for a little bit until help showed up.B次元官网网址�
Rogalski was seated one row away from the windows and wasnB次元官网网址檛 hurt.
B次元官网网址淚t was terrifying,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he whole building shook. Things started falling B次元官网网址� ceiling tiles, and structure and glass and debris. Lots and lots of dust. It was tough to see beyond 20 feet or so.B次元官网网址�
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The explosion came about 15 minutes after the officeB次元官网网址檚 human resources manager sent an email warning that the cityB次元官网网址檚 fire department was investigating the smell of gas and that workers shouldnB次元官网网址檛 leave the building through the front door, he said as a friend gave him a ride home to Chapel Hill. Rogalski said he was forced to abandon his car in a nearby parking deck because authorities worried the blast may have weakened the structure.
Dominion Energy said in a press release Wednesday that subsidiary company PSNC Energy had received a call about B次元官网网址渢hird-partyB次元官网网址� damage to a natural gas line in Durham. A PSNC worker responded, and the explosion B次元官网网址渙ccurred shortly thereafter.B次元官网网址� The company said additional crews arrived and shut off the gas.
The firm added that its B次元官网网址渢houghts and prayers are with those impacted by this tragic event as well as their families.B次元官网网址�
Blocks away, the blast shattered windows and blew at least one door off its hinges in the Brightleaf shopping district. Ed Rains was on a nearby street and couldnB次元官网网址檛 see the blast but heard it. B次元官网网址淚 thought someone had dropped a dumpster on the street,B次元官网网址� he said.
Tracy Telenko was at his desk in his third-floor Durham office when he heard the explosion and saw black smoke billowing up.
B次元官网网址淢y first thought, because there was construction going on around my building, was something fell, somebody doing construction dropped something,B次元官网网址� he said.
Telenko said he went home after his boss told employees they could leave if they didnB次元官网网址檛 feel safe in their office.
At nearby Durham School of the Arts, students were evacuated and classes dismissed for the day. Teacher Al Donaldson was walking through a hallway in a building about two blocks from the blast when he heard a loud noise, which concerned faculty and students.
B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 know the origin at the time,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 was in the hallway, so I didnB次元官网网址檛 so much feel it shake as experiencing a jarring sound.B次元官网网址�
The collapsed building is occupied by Prescient Co., which said in July 2017 that it was moving its headquarters from Arvada, Colorado, and expected to employ about 60 executives, engineering and sales workers in Durham. The company uses specialized software to design and build precise materials that allow builders to assemble multistory apartments, hotels and other commercial buildings faster and cheaper.
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Jonathan Drew, The Associated Press
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