KFC restaurant in North Carolina explodes after employees leave for the night
Explosion at a KFC restaurant in North Carolina after employees leave for the night.
The explosion that leveled a KFC in North Carolina last month was determined to have been caused by an accidental gas leak, officials say.
The fast-food restaurant, located in the town of Eden, had been completely leveled by the blast in the very early hours of the morning on July 11, shortly after employees had closed up the previous evening.
Nearby residents said they had felt the explosion from miles away, according to reports. (Eden Police Department)
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“After a thorough investigation, by all respective agencies involved, it has been determined the explosion was accidental, caused by a gas leak,” the Eden Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday.
The police department’s results came after a joint investigation with the town’s fire department, as well as the Rockingham County Task Force, the State Fire Marshall’s Office, the ATF (Acohol, Tobacco and Firearms) department and a private engineering firm, according to the release.
“The city of Eden Police Department and Eden Fire Department greatly appreciate the assistance from all agencies who responded to the initial incident, as well as all the agencies who spent a great deal of time investigating this incident,” police wrote.
“We are grateful no injuries occurred during the incident.”
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The explosion, which was caught on film by nearby businesses, also damaged several nearby buildings. Fox 8 reporter Daniel Pierce added that the explosion was so strong, it launched what appeared to be the drive-thru window approximately 50 feet from the restaurant.
Miraculously, however, police had said no one was injured. Police learned that employees smelled gas when closing the store and the manager called the gas company before locking up.
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Following the explosion, KFC had thanked Eden’s emergency responders in a statement shared with Fox News in July.
“We are devastated by this incident, but most importantly we are grateful that all of our restaurant team members are safe and no one was injured. We would like to thank the Eden police and fire crews, for their response and continued support. We are cooperating directly with the investigating agencies as they work to determine the cause.”
A subsequent statement confirmed that displaced employees would be temporarily working at nearby locations until the Eden KFC was rebuilt.
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