A Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant on Van Buren Road/NC Hwy. 14 exploded at roughly 12:20 a.m., obliterating the fast food joint’s structure, broadcasting debris a quarter mile along the highway and rattling houses as far away as the Virginia state line.
“I was driving by when it exploded,’’ said Ed McCain, manager of the local Papa John’s pizza, who was heading home from a late shift.
“It shook my car like you wouldn’t believe, but there were no flames,’’ said McCain, 38, who watched a $10 bill float among the debris overhead and land near his SUV. “I was freaking out, and I just pulled over in the Sheetz parking lot. I’m just happy to be alive.''
The KFC, which closed around 11 p.m. Wednesday, was empty at the time of the blast and there are no known casualties, said Eden Police Chief Greg Light, on the scene with firefighters.