Kong Lee, the owner of Kaffeinate coffee shop, was killed in the blast, Durham police spokesman Wil Glenn said.
Phill Grosshans told WRAL that he was walking in the downtown, moments before the explosion, when he heard a"gigantic blast" and was almost knocked to the ground.Grant Hall, who was also in the area, said he saw a"bunch of stuff shake," followed by a plume of heavy smoke.
The building where the explosion occurred houses several businesses, including the Colorado-based manufacturing and technology company Prescient, the Kaffeinate coffee shop and Main Street Clinical Associates.“We are grateful to the first responders and are working closely with the local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with all who are affected by today’s incident," the company said in a statement.
Durham Public Schools said in a tweet that the Durham School of the Arts was evacuated and will be closed Thursday to"evaluate the structural integrity/safety of the building." The school sits across the street from where the blast occurred.“We are deeply saddened by today’s tragedy,” Rodney Blevins, CEO of Dominion Energy’s Southeast Energy Group, said in a statement. “Our thoughts, prayers and sympathy are with the families of those who were injured and the deceased.
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