Several firefighters were injured Tuesday after a vehicle struck a building and ignited a gas explosion.
Police told WECT that a vehicle was making a turn when it left the road and hit a gas line going into the Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral building, which is undergoing renovations. The vehicle sparked an explosion that was caught on film, launching debris in the air.
The driver left the scene and was later found and apprehended by police, who believe he was impaired.
Wilmington Fire Public Information Officer Rebekah Thurston told the Star News Online that three firefighters were hospitalized. One firefighter suffered serious burns to the hands while the others suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Thurston said nobody in the building was injured.
“It kind of felt like something fell on the ceiling," Kate Fersinger, who works nearby, told the Star News Online . "We came out and the building was completely on fire and there were already people on scene responding. It was a massive fire in two spots, but it looks like they got it under control mostly. It was scary.”
