WILMINGTON — Back in August, an explosion left a plume of black smoke blanketing midtown and area business owners shook, some even evacuated, as a soon-to-open vet clinic became a confetti of construction materials, raining down on New Centre Drive.
The eighth most read piece by Port City Daily came in August when a gas line rupture caused the explosion at Eastern Carolina Veterinary Medical Center. At the time, the medical facility was mere weeks away from relocating to its new home.
The rupture happened after a driver was leaving Bob King Drive to turn onto New Centre Drive before crashing his vehicle into the gas line. The driver fled the scene, but law enforcement located the vehicle and driver shortly thereafter, following multiple 911 calls that came in with descriptions.
Jason Lee Beach, 46, of Wilmington, faces charges for felony serious injury by vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, hit and run, reckless driving, and failure to maintain lane; he was given a $1-million bond.
A witness allegedly followed Beach and watched him discard a canister of nitrous oxide or “Galaxy Gas” into a trash receptacle at a nearby 7-Eleven, which police later recovered.
The explosion made national news, with the rupture’s acceleration impacted by roughly 360 gallons of oxygen tanks located on the second floor of the vet clinic. No vet staff or animals were inside, though multiple firefighters were injured from the incident as they fought the blaze left behind.
The vet clinic is now being demolished to make way for its rebuilding.
Catch up on PCD’s initial reporting of the explosion in two pieces below.
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