Durham critiques response to fatal gas explosion, finds staffing, coordination lacking

  • Source: WRAL-TV CBS 5 Raleigh
  • Published: 11/12/2019 05:30 PM

Seven months after a natural gas explosion near downtown Durham, the city's emergency management officials and fire department released two reports Tuesday critiquing the response to the incident and suggesting changes for future emergencies. The April 10 explosion rocked the 100 block of North Duke Street, killing the owner of the Kaffeinate coffee shop. A PSNC Energy employee who had responded to the reported gas leak died two weeks later of injuries he suffered in the blast. The Emergency Management report noted difficulty in determining who was injured and whether anyone was unaccounted for because there was no coordinated patient tracking system. It also noted confusion in trying to provide accurate information to the public because officials were too busy with clearing the area and that no one was keeping track of personnel in the explosion zone.



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