In Wilmington on August 19, 2025, an impaired driver struck and damaged a gas meter and high-pressure line at a commercial building that was being renovated as a veterinary hospital. The vehicle left the scene. The hospital was planning to open next month. Arriving fire units found an active gas leak. Five firefighters entered the building to conduct primary searches. They were monitoring the gas levels as they searched, and they detected a dangerous concentration just seconds before the explosion. All five firefighters were injured in the explosion, flash fire, and subsequent emergency evacuation. One firefighter suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands and was transferred to the burn center in Chapel Hill. The incident escalated to a second-alarm response……