Here's What We Know--And Don't Know--About the Explosion That Shook Downtown Durham Last Week

On Saturday morning, Durham residents and officials gathered downtown for what was supposed to be a purely joyous occasion: a birthday party to mark the 150th anniversary of the Bull City’s incorporation. And while families enjoyed giveaways, performances, and a race to see which inflatable bull would make it down the American Tobacco Campus river the fastest, the celebration began on a somber note.

“I want to start out with a few serious words about the events of the past week,” said Mayor Steve Schewel. “We all know Durham has had a tough week.”

Three days earlier—on Wednesday, April 10, Durham’s actual sesquicentennial—just a half-mile away, an explosion triggered by a gas leak rocked Brightleaf Square, leaving a local business owner dead, twenty-five injured, fifteen buildings damaged, and many questions unanswered.

Schewel described arriving at the scene just moments after a building at 115 North Duke Street, home to the Kaffeinate coffee shop and construction technology company Prescient, had exploded, sending out a boom heard for miles.

Read more: https://indyweek.com/news/durham/what-we-know-about-the-explosion-downtown-durham/