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One person was killed and more than a dozen people were injured, including a firefighter, Wednesday morning following a gas explosion in Durham, North Carolina.
A contractor doing work in the city's downtown area around 10:30 a.m. caused a gas leak which then triggered the explosion, authorities said. Details about the victim were not immediately provided.
"I want individuals to avoid downtown at this time," Durham police spokesman Wil Glenn said during a news conference.
Durham Public Works said in a statement that the contractor was not with the city.
"No injuries of City employees have been reported, but we have received reports of injuries to the contractors employees," the office said.
The explosion caused a building to partially collapse. Glenn said 15 people have been hospitalized, including a Durham firefighter who suffered serious injuries.
Duke University said in a statement on its website that several of its employees were injured by shattered glass.
Phill Grosshans told NBC affiliate 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.
"I was totally shocked," he said. "I had no idea at first what had happened.”
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, Kaffeinate coffee shop and Main Street Clinical Associates.
Durham Public Schools said in a tweet that 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 explosion occurred.
In an earlier message on its Twitter page, the district said no students or staff were injured.
Police have closed numerous roads and asked residents to "avoid any and all traffic in the downtown area."