State investigators release findings on deadly 2019 Durham gas explosion

The N.C. Utilities Commission released a report Friday on its investigation into the 2019 gas explosion near Brightleaf Square that killed two people and injured 25 others.

The explosion at 115 N. Duke St. destroyed a coffee shop building, killing owner Kong Lee. A worker for the PSNC Energy company who responded to the scene, Jay Rambeaut, died two weeks later from his injuries, The News & Observer reported.

The Durham Fire Department determined that the April 10, 2019, explosion and fire occurred after a contractor accidentally ruptured a natural gas line five feet from the Kaffeinate coffee shop’s door and that gas flowed for one hour. It found no evidence that anyone from the contractor’s crew called 911.

The report by the Utilities Commission’s Pipeline Safety Section mirrored that finding, stating the probable cause of the explosion was a drilling device rupturing a gas line. That let gas escape into the interior, where it ignited.

In a news release, the commission said PSNC responded to the incident appropriately but that the operator of a horizontal drilling device being used to lay fiber optic cable failed to follow two safety requirements by:

▪ Using mechanized equipment within the tolerance zone of the natural gas facility

▪ Failing to identify the precise location of the natural gas facility before using mechanized equipment

The operator also didn’t comply with a state requirement to immediately report the damage through 911, NC 811, and the PSNC Energy company, the press release states.

The Pipeline Safety Section’s investigation is limited to safety regulation matters and does not address civil or criminal wrongdoing, the release states.

In June 2020, a Raleigh law firm filed four lawsuits related to the explosion: one for Lee’s family and three others on behalf of people who were injured, The N&O reported.

This is a developing story and will be updated.