Firefighters are battling a blaze triggered by a suspected gas leak at a downtown Durham, North Carolina, building Wednesday morning, fire officials say
The blast occurred about 10:27 a.m. when a contractor boring under the sidewalk hit a 2-inch gas line, said Durham police spokesman Wil Glenn. Fifteen people were transported to area hospitals, and the firefighter suffered serious injuries, he said. A witness described a scene like a war zone, with first responders scrambling to ferry injured people to safety after the blast. "Half the block is destroyed," Jim Rogalski told CNN via text message."Lots of injuries.
"Windows blown out a block away. Our office was filled with glass, dust and debris."A human resources employee told Rogalski and his co-workers that authorities were investigating a gas leak across the street and they should remain inside. About 15 minutes later, they heard what sounded like a bomb, he told CNN. "The first second was stunned silence, then lots of scream in the building. Several of us shouted, 'Is anyone hurt?'"he recalled.
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