Explosion at NC Humane Society shelter sends workers racing from flames, video shows

Three workers at a North Carolina animal shelter had to be hospitalized this week after a gas explosion, and the moment was caught by a surveillance camera.

The video, released by the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society, shows the air igniting, ceiling tiles collapsing and three workers dashing to outrun the flames. One woman is shown trying to pat out fire in her hair as she runs.

Two of the injured were treated and released from a hospital, said shelter officials in a Facebook post. The third remains hospitalized with “serious burns,” reported Fox Carolina. He was not identified, but the shelter post said he is a husband and father.

The explosion occurred at 5:45pm Monday evening, as the three were working on the installation of a gas dryer in the Canine Adoption Center, said the shelter’s Facebook post.

None of the 40-plus dogs in the shelter were injured, but shelter manager Kaitlyn Moss was among the two treated and released from the hospital, said the post.

“I have burns on my hands pretty badly,” Moss told WLOS. “And I used to have long hair. I had to cut all my hair off because it was burned. But hair grows back ... I’m lucky to be alive.”

The Canine Adoption Center in the shelter suffered structural damage, but the explosion did not reach the nearby kennel where dogs and puppies are kept, officials said.

This story was originally published October 26, 2018 at 6:48 PM.