DURHAM, N.C. -- Spectrum News viewers around Durham told us on social media that it felt like an earthquake.  A gas explosion at a building in downtown Durham lead to a fire that could be seen around the city and even detected by Doppler radar.

• Durham Explosion Kills One and Injures Many
• Durham's Studebaker Building: What We Know

The nearest National Weather Service Doppler radar site to the Triangle is located near Clayton off Highway 70.  Even from that distance, radar was able to detect to smoke from the fire that occurred just after 10am Wednesday morning.

Radar is typically used to see where rain is falling and where storms are moving.  However, radar can detect other "targets" in the sky such as smoke, dust, and even swarms of insects and birds.