WRAL News live coverage of downtown Durham gas explosion
>>> AN EXPLOSION IN DOWNTOWN
DURHAM, WE ARE GOING TO SHOW
YOU WHERE THIS HAPPENED.
IT IS DEADLY AND SIGNIFICANT TO
WHAT IS GOING ON ON THIS BUSY
BUSINESS DAY, BRIGHTLEAF SQUARE
SHAKEN, THE DURHAM SCHOOL OF
THE ARTS EVACUATED RIGHT NEAR
DUKE STREET TAKE A LISTEN.
>> THAT SOUND RIGHT THERE YOU
COULD SEE IT AND FEEL IT AS WAS
CAUGHT ON THIS CAMERA.
A CAMERA WHERE USUALLY WE SEE
TRUCKS GETTING CAUGHT UNDER
THAT BRIDGE BUT ON THIS DAY WE
CAN SEE AND HEAR THAT POWERFUL
EXPLOSION THAT HAPPENED IN
DOWNTOWN DURHAM RIGHT AROUND A
LITTLE AFTER 10:00.
RIGHT BEFORE THAT CONTRACTORS
AND AUTHORITIES WERE CALLED TO
A GAS LEAK THAT HAPPENED 20
MINUTES OR 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO
THAT.
IN FRONT OF THE PRESCIENT
BUILDING ON DUKE STREET.
>> SEVERAL FOLKS WERE
EYEWITNESSES AND THEY LIVE IN
THE AREA, THEY WERE WALKING IN
THE AREA OR DRIVING IN THE AREA
AND THEY ALL REPORT THE SAME
THING THAT MASSIVE BLAST
COMPARED TO AN EARTHQUAKE OR
THINKING A TREE FELL ON
SOMETHING BUT KNOWING SOMETHING
WAS NOT RIGHT AND THEN THOSE IN
THAT AREA'S TO SEE THE SMOKE
AND FLAMES AND ALL OF THE GLASS
SHATTERED ON THE STREETS BELOW.
VERY FRIGHTENING MOMENTS.
>> BRYAN MIMS HAS BEEN ON THE
SCENE SINCE THERE WAS SMOKE
UNTIL NOW THINGS ARE CLEAR AND
THE STORY IS BECOMING MORE
CLEAR.>> Reporter: BY NO MEANS
IS THIS OVER BUT THE AIR IS
MORE CLEAR, WE CAN BREATHE
EASIER AND THE CROWD HAS
THINNED OUT, WHEN WE ARRIVED AT
THIS PLACE WAS CRAWLING WITH
PEOPLE, SPECTATORS AND PEOPLE
WHO EVACUATED OR LEFT THE
BUILDINGS TO WATCH WHAT WAS
GOING ON.
TO WATCH WITH HORROR, THE
FLAMES LEAPING INTO THE SKY,
THICK BLACK SMOKE INTO THE SKY,
IT WAS A HORRIFIC SCENE FOR A
WHILE BUT IT DOES LOOK MUCH
BETTER FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT.
SMOKE NOT NEARLY AS THICK AND I
CAN BARELY SEE ANY SMOKE BUT
THERE ARE CREWS DOWN THERE
PUTTING OUT HOT SPOTS BUT NO
MEANS HAS THE SCENE CLEARED
WITH FIRST RESPONDERS ALL OVER
THE PLACE.
THIS IS AS CLOSE AS WE CAN GET
TO THE SITE.
THERE IS YELLOW TAPE CREATING A
WIDE PERIMETER AROUND THIS AREA.
I HAVE TALKED WITH A NUMBER OF
PEOPLE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF
HOURS, ABOUT 30 MINUTES AGO I
TALKED WITH A WOMAN WHO WAS
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE SHE WAS TEACHING
STUDENTS AT THE CHURCH, DUKE,
UNITED DUKE MEMORIAL UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH AND A NUMBER
OF THE STUDENTS WERE FROM OTHER
COUNTRIES.
THEY WERE REFUGEES FROM WAR-
TORN NATIONS AND WHEN THEY
HEARD THIS BLAST THEY HAD A
DOSE OF TRAUMA, POSTTRAUMATIC
STRESS BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY
EXPERIENCED IN THEIR HOME
COUNTRIES WHEN THEY HEARD THE
EXPLOSION THEY THOUGHT THAT IT
WAS A BOMB GOING OFF SO IT WAS
TERRIBLY TRAUMATIC FOR THEM.
SO THERE'S SOME RELIEF THIS
TURNED OUT TO BE A GAS LEAK
EXPLOSION BUT SHE WAS MOVED TO
TEARS, THIS WOMAN THAT I TALKED
WITH HALF AN HOUR AGO BECAUSE
THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU
SEE EVERY DAY IN DURHAM.
EVERYBODY WAS GOING ABOUT THEIR
LIVES ON A BEAUTIFUL SPRING
DAY, NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY.
A GORGEOUS APRIL DAY AND OUT OF
NOWHERE COMES THIS HORRENDOUS
EXPLOSION.
I WAS ABOUT TO GO ON THE AIR
WITH A MAN WHO IS OVER THERE
SPEAKING WITH SOMEBODY NOW BUT
HIS SON IS A DURHAM
FIREFIGHTER.
HE CAME TO THE SCENE AND
APPROACHED ME ASKING FOR ANY
INFORMATION.
HE SAID HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING
ABOUT THE FIREFIGHTERS?
BECAUSE MY SON IS A FIREFIGHTER
FOR THE CITY OF DURHAM AND HE
HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET IN
TOUCH.
HE HEARD THAT ONE FIREFIGHTER
WAS INJURED, HE HEARD ABOUT A
FATALITY SO HE WAS A PANIC
STRICKEN FATHER.
HE JUST FOUND OUT BEFORE WE
WENT ON THE AIR THAT HIS SON IS
OKAY.
ONE OF THE FIRE OFFICIALS CAME
AND ASSURED HIM THAT HIS SON IS
OKAY.
HE IS ON THE JOB DOING WHAT
FIREFIGHTERS DO SO THAT WAS A
TREMENDOUS RELIEF FOR THIS
FELLOW OVER HERE.
THE CROWD HAS THINNED OUT,
PEOPLE HAVE MADE THEIR WAY
HOME.
SO WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF
ONLOOKERS THAT WE HAD AN HOUR
AGO AND IT IS NICE TO BREATHE
WITHOUT COUGHING AND CHOKING ON
THE SMOKE.
>> WE ARE SHOWING VIDEO NOW OF
THE THICK BLACK SMOKE THAT WAS
COMING FROM THE BUILDING WHEN
THE EXPLOSION HAPPENED.
LIKE YOU SAID THAT COULD BE
SEEN FOR MILES AND IT WAS FELT
FOR MILES AS WELL BUT THE AIR
IS STARTING TO CLEAR.
>> WE ARE STARTING TO GET IN
OTHER VIDEO FROM SOME OTHER
SOURCES.
SOME EYEWITNESSES WHO TOOK SOME
PHONE VIDEO OF DIFFERENT ANGLES
AND ALL, WE HAVE BEEN ON THE
AIR FOR ALMOST 3 HOURS SO WE
HAVE SEEN THIS FROM THE START
AS IT WAS ALL COMING OUT LIVE.
THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE
VIDEOS FROM TWITTER.
BLACK SMOKE, THICK BLACK SMOKE
AS FIREFIGHTERS HAVE THEIR
LADDERS UP AND THERE ARE
MULTIPLE CREWS ON THE SCENE.
MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS IN WAKE
COUNTY, ORANGE COUNTY, DURHAM,
THEY WERE ALL INVOLVED.
>> THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE
PEOPLE WORKING IN DOWNTOWN
DURHAM ARE GOING FOR LUNCH OR
WALKING AROUND AND THEN THEY
CAN HEAR THAT HAPPENED AND THEN
THEY SEE THAT HAPPEN AND THEY
ARE TAKING OUT THEIR PHONES AND
GETTING VIDEO.
THIS IS ANOTHER LOOK FROM
BROOKE HODGE ON TWITTER.
YOU CAN SEE MUCH FURTHER AWAY,
HER VANTAGE POINT BUT AGAIN THE
THICK BLACK SMOKE MOVING IN THE
AIR AND THAT IS WHAT IT LOOKS
LIKE FOR THE FIRST 1 1/2 TO TWO
HOURS UNTIL FIREFIGHTERS COULD
GET CONTROL OF THE FIRE.
WE ARE GETTING SOME NEW
INFORMATION QUICKLY FROM UNC
HEALTHCARE, SO THE LAST UPDATE
WAS THE 15 PEOPLE INJURED WHICH
INCLUDED THE DURHAM
FIREFIGHTER, THEY WERE TAKEN TO
A HOSPITAL IN DURHAM.
WE ARE LEARNING UNC MEDICAL
CENTER HAS RECEIVED ONE PATIENT
AND THEY ARE ON STANDBY READY
TO RECEIVE ANY MORE IF NEEDED
BUT WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON
THAT.
MOST OF THE INJURED, WE DON'T
KNOW THE EXTENT OF THE INJURIES
BUT THEY ARE AT DUKE AREA
HOSPITALS.
>> A FIREFIGHTER WAS SERIOUSLY
INJURED AS YOU LOOK AT THIS
VIDEO RECORDED EARLIER.
ROSALIA FODERA IS OUTSIDE OF
THE DUKE MEDICAL CENTER BUT
THE UNC SYSTEM HAS HELPED AS
WELL.
THERE IS A LOT OF WATER PUT ON
THE FIRE TO GET IT OUT WHICH IT
IS NOW BY ALL ACCOUNTS WITH
HOTSPOTS BEING MAINTAINED AS WE
SPEAK BUT LENA TILLETT IN THE
LIVE CENTER WITH REPORTS OF
DISCOLORATION IN THE WATER IN
THE CITY OF DURHAM.
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
I WANTED TO BRING YOU THIS
UPDATE BECAUSE DURHAM WATER PUT
OUT A TWEET.
THERE WERE REPORTS OF BROWN
WATER, SOME DISCOLORATION AND
THEY JUST POSTED A TWEET SAYING
DURHAM TAP WATER IS SAFE TO
DRINK, THE INFRASTRUCTURE HAS
NOT BEEN DAMAGED BY THE GAS
EXPLOSION, RESTAURANTS AND
OTHER CUSTOMERS IF YOU SEE
DISCOLORATION RUN COLD WATER AT
FULL FORCE UNTIL IT BECOMES
CLEAR.
I AM ASSUMING RUN YOUR WATER
AND CONTINUE TO RUN YOUR WATER
UNTIL THE WATER BECOMES CLEAR.
REITERATING IN ANOTHER TWEET
THAT SAYS THIS IS JUST AS A
PRECAUTION, IF DISCOLORATION
PERSISTS, CALL DURHAM WATER TO
GET MORE INFORMATION BUT THIS
IS HAVING WIDESPREAD
CONSEQUENCES AS A RESULT OF THE
FIRE OR THE WATER RATHER THAT
THE FIRE CREWS WERE USING TO
PUT OUT THE MASSIVE FLAMES.
BACK TO YOU.
>> ALL THE MAKINGS OF A
HISTORIC DAY IN DOWNTOWN DURHAM
WITH EVERYTHING TAKING PLACE
AND SADLY IS ON THE 150th
BIRTHDAY OF DURHAM.
CELEBRATING WHAT WAS SUPPOSED
TO BE A CELEBRATION.
>> THE IMPACT OF THIS EXPLOSION
IS FAR-REACHING AND WE WILL
CONTINUE COVERING THESE IMPACTS
AS WE WAIT ON A NEWS CONFERENCE
COMING UP AT 2:00.
A QUICK BREAK AND AFTER THAT WE
WILL CHECK IN WITH ROSALIA