Durham officials said a 911 call reporting a strong gas odor was made 26 minutes before a contractor reported hitting a gas main - which led to April 10's fatal explosion. At 9:11 a.m., someone called 911 to report a strong smell of gas as they were driving through the intersection of North Duke and Morgan streets. A fire engine was dispatched to the area at 9:13 a.m. DFD Engine 1 was at the intersection mentioned by the caller at 9:17 a.m. The responding firefighters reported no gas smell at the intersection. The caller mentioned Durham School of the Arts numerous times in their call to 911 which led the firefighters to circle the school. No odor was detected and efforts to contact the 911 caller were unsuccessful.