A veterinary medical center exploded in North Carolina , leaving three firefighters hurt.

On Tuesday, Aug. 19, at around 11 a.m. local time, police responded to the scene of a gas leak caused by a car that struck a natural gas line after driving off the road in Wilmington, North Carolina, located on the state's coast, around 129 miles southeast of Raleigh, North Carolina, Greg Willett, the Wilmington Police Department public information officer, said at a news conference.

"Everyone was confused and surprised at the same time," said Luis Mares, a manager at a nearby restaurant. "We didn't know what was going on."

The gas line fed into the Eastern Carolina Veterinary Medical Center, a new location to be opened by Eastern Carolina Veterinary Referral, which was undergoing renovations and

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