'The owner decided that he did not want to evacuate, our engine captain went to find a police officer to enforce that evacuation order and that is when the building exploded and collapsed,' the fire chief said.
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"All the people in the business did evacuate other than the owner,” Durham Fire Chief Robert Zoldos said Thursday. Killed in the explosion Wednesday was Kong Lee, 61, the owner of Kaffeinate coffee shop, police said. Search dogs were taken through the wreckage, but no other victims were found and no missing people were reported, Zoldos said. The investigation is ongoing, including into what caused the gas to ignite, he said.Authorities responded around 9:38 a.m. to a call of a gas odor and immediately began an evacuation of surrounding businesses, officials said. The explosion and fire occurred just after 10 a.m.
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