An outrage driver crashed into a veterinary clinic in North Carolina on Tuesday, causing a gas explosion that left three injured firefighters, authorities said.
Jason Lee Beach, 46, was accused of DWI’s serious crime with serious injuries, possession of drug paraphernalia, coup and career, reckless driving and lack of lane maintenance, said Wilmington Police Department in a press release. He is detained at the New Hanover County Detention Center with a bail of $ 100,000.
The rubble fly through the air as the smoke rises after an explosion in a building in Wilmington, North Carolina, on August 19, 2025, on this screen taken from a video of social networks.
Jordan Branyon/TMX through Reuters
The incident began to develop around 11 am on Tuesday when a vehicle hit the veterinary medical center of the East of Carolina in New Center Drive, breaking a gas line, police said. The driver fled the scene before the authorities arrived, according to the police.
While Wilmington’s firefighters were doing a search in the building to make sure it was empty, a gas explosion occurred. Three firefighters were injured in the explosion, and one sustained severe burns in the hands and arms.
The other two firefighters suffered wounds that were not mortal. The three were taken to a local hospital, authorities said.
The rubble fly through the air as the smoke rises after an explosion in a building in Wilmington, North Carolina, on August 19, 2025, on this screen taken from a video of social networks.
Jordan Branyon/TMX through Reuters
No civilian was inside the building at the time of the explosion. The fire teams then secured the gas leak and put the fire under control, according to the authorities.
The police located and arrested Beach, who had allegedly fled the scene after the initial accident.
