Eastern Carolina Veterinary Medical Center
What happened
On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at approximately 11:30 a.m., the new ECVMC building under construction located at 5051 New Centre Drive, Wilmington, NC 28403 experienced a catastrophic explosion caused by a gas leak. The leak occurred when an impaired driver ran off the road and struck a natural gas pipe located next to the building.
Fortunately, no patients or ECVMC staff were inside the building at the time. Three construction crew members exited safely after discovering the gas leak. Members of the Wilmington Fire Department were inside the building during the explosion and sustained injuries; we are grateful to share that those firefighters have since recovered.
Where we are now
ECVMC continues to provide 24/7 emergency and specialty care from our current location: 50 Greenville Avenue, Wilmington, NC
Demolition of the New Centre Drive facility is underway as we take the next step toward rebuilding.
Our plan is to rebuild the New Centre Drive facility once permitting and approvals are finalized.
We will share confirmed updates on this page as milestones are reached and progress continues.
For additional updates throughout the demolition and rebuild, please follow us on Facebook!
