WILMINGTON — With black smoke billowing over midtown and debris scattered across New Centre Drive, emergency crews responded to a ruptured gas line leading to an explosion at an area vet clinic. Though there were no casualties and civilians were spared injury, three firefighters were taken to the hospital.
READ MORE: Man arrested in hit-and-run that prompted explosion at vet clinic
The explosion took place at 5051 New Centre Drive, the location of the soon-to-open Eastern Carolina Veterinary Medical Center. The gas line rupture was caused by a vehicular crash, according to law enforcement.
Lt. Greg Willett of the Wilmington Police Department said the driver of the vehicle turned left off Bob King Drive onto New Centre Drive when making contact into the gas line. The driver fled the scene, but law enforcement has since located the vehicle and driver. Willett indicated the person was showing signs of impairment and has been detained.
According to the Wilmington Fire Department, crews were doing a primary search to ensure the building was empty when the combustion happened.
“A ‘mayday’ was called, which is rare,” Rebekah Thurston, spokesperson for WFD, said. “But we do extensive training for incidents like this.”
Three firefighters had to be treated at NHRMC, one with severe burns to his hands and arms, and the other two endured less severe injuries.
Crews continued to extinguish the fire Tuesday afternoon and cleared debris from the road. The fire will remain under investigation.
New Centre Drive, the corridor between College Road and Market Street, remained closed most of the day. Residents of Hawthorne at New Centre and New Centre Villages weren’t allowed through until it reopened after 6 p.m.
Nearby employees said the explosion vibrated across the block around 11:30 a.m. Its effect reached beyond the perimeter, across College Road to where the government center is located.
“Our whole office shook,” Stacy Murtha, who works at an area executive office, told Port City Daily, calling the scene “shocking.” “It knocked stuff off our wall. The HVAC units in the back aren’t working, maybe some of the debris hit it.”
Only the Bob King GMC dealership, closest to the clinic, was evacuated. According to Jordan Branyon, sales manager, his receptionist informed him of the traffic accident and a fire on the roof of the vet clinic.
“I went to call 911 and two seconds after that, the entire thing exploded, the entire top of the roof,” Branyon said. “Everyone went running for our lives, wondering if our building was going to explode too.”
Branyon caught video of the explosion as it happened at the veterinary clinic (scroll to the top to view).
Currently located on Greenville Loop Road, behind Wrightsville Beach Brewery, the emergency vet was awaiting to move into its newly constructed building, set to also bring expanded services to pet owners in the area. The clinic was scheduled to open by September, but law enforcement said damage is extensive from the explosion. No humans or animals were inside at the time of the incident.
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