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Worker Calmly Reveals Gas Leak In 911 Call Before Blast

Charred remains are piled in a heap of rubble, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Durham, N.C., the day after an explosion and building fire caused by a gas leak killed one person and injured more than two dozen, including nine firefighters. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Emergency calls related to an explosion that leveled a North Carolina building start with a worker calmly telling a dispatcher the crew hit a gas line.

The 911 call released Friday starts with the worker saying: "we have hit a gas service." The person gives the address for the building that eventually exploded and collapsed. The call is time-stamped about 30 minutes before the explosion happened Wednesday.

The Durham Police Department has said that a contractor boring along a sidewalk hit the gas line and caused the leak. It's not clear what made the gas ignite.

Neither the worker's nor the contractor's name is clear from the emergency call.

One person was killed and 25 injured in the blast.

 

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