‘BOOM!’ Truck explosion burns two people near NC barbecue restaurant, video shows
CORRECTION: The original version of this story incorrectly stated Lexington, NC’s, location in relation to Charlotte.
A worker captured video of a truck explosion that burned two people near a North Carolina barbecue restaurant Nov. 1.
“I rushed to the back of the restaurant and pulled out my phone and started recording (and) in four seconds of recording…BOOM...the truck exploded and shook my whole body,” Speedy’s BBQ employee Lucas Bivens told McClatchy News.
The driver of the truck and one passenger were burned in the explosion at the Lexington restaurant and taken to a local hospital with burns to their face, body and chest, City of Lexington Battalion Chief Waylon Turbeville told McClatchy News. Both have since been released.
“I’m glad he’s OK,” the driver’s son Noah told Fox8-TV. “I just had talked to him, and had I just seen him. I passed him on my way to work. It was really eye-opening to me to be appreciative of that because that easily could’ve easily been the last time I got to speak to him.”
The explosion was caused by a propane tank on the back of the truck, the Lexington Police Department told McClatchy News.
It took about 45 minutes to put out the fire, according to police.
Speedy’s BBQ, a nearby store and homes in the surrounding area reported power outages, Turbeville said.
A few cars and power lines were also damaged in the explosion, he said.
Restaurant manager Jay Johnson told WXII 12 that when he called 911 to report the fire he saw “the flames getting higher leading up to the blast.”
“If the fire department would have gotten here one minute earlier they would have been right beside the truck putting the fire out when it exploded,” Johnson told the outlet.
Lexington is about 60 miles northeast of Charlotte.
The restaurant opened in 1963 under the name “Speedy’s Drive-in’‘ until it was bought by the current owners in 1970, according to the restaurant’s website. They have about 35 employees.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 12:33 PM.
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