April 10 marks 5 years since deadly Durham gas explosion

A contractor installing underground cables struck a gas line outside a coffee shop on North Duke Street on April 10, 2019.

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Kong Lee, the owner of Kaffeinate, a coffee shop located on the bottom level of the Prescient building on North Duke Street, was inside and died when the building exploded. A PSNC worker who responded to the gas leak, Jay Rambeaut, died two weeks after the explosion from his injuries.

However, the contractor installing the underground cables failed to follow state regulations by boring into the ground without first locating a natural gas line in the area. This is what lead to the massive explosion, according to the report.

The family of Lee, who was killed in the blast, filed one of the lawsuits. The others were for Richard Meyers of Raleigh, who was driving a shuttle bus in the area when the explosion occurred; Katrics Edwards of Selma, who was walking to the coffee shop at the time of the explosion; and Jasper Poole of Durham, who was delivering flowers in the area at the time.

Gas flowed for about an hour after the rupture, filling underground cavities near Kaffeinate, before the blast, according to a Durham Fire Department investigation. Firefighters haven't been able to pinpoint what ignited the explosion.

The state Department of Labor cited Optic Cable for two serious violations of workplace safety regulations, each carrying a $7,000 fine. Inspectors said the company failed to locate nearby utilities, including the gas line, before drilling and then failed to call the 811 service for utility response or 911 for emergency assistance.

PSNC, part of Dominion Energy, and PS Splicing, also were cited for serious violations. Inspectors said PS Splicing didn't perform regular inspections at the site, which could have identified the potential for a gas line rupture, and that PSNC allowed its employee to respond to a gas leak without personal protective gear, even parking his car in the blast zone.