Man, 18, dies in US gas inferno
AN 18- YEAR- OLD man has died and at least 12 others were injured after dozens of gas explosions – apparently triggered by over- pressurised gas lines – ignited 39 house fires north of Boston.
The victim, Leonel Robson of Lawrence, died after being rushed to hospital in Boston when a chimney from an exploding house crashed on to his car.
Authorities were yesterday scrambling to shut down gas supply to stop further explosions. Massachusetts State Police were urging all with homes serviced by Columbia Gas in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover to evacuate, snarling traffic and causing widespread confusion as residents and local officials struggled to understand what was happening.
“It looked like Armageddon, it really did,” Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield told reporters.
“There were billows of smoke coming from Lawrence behind me. I could see pillars of smoke in front of me from the town of Andover.”
Governor Charlie Baker said state and local authorities were investigating but that it could take days or weeks before they turn up answers.
Hours after the explosions, the utility’s parent company issued a brief statement saying its crews were still performing safety checks in the area.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by today’s incident,” Indiana- based NiSource said on Thursday in a statement.
“The first priority for our crews at the scene is to ensure the safety of our customers and the community.”
Baker previously said authorities hadn’t heard directly from Columbia Gas, but later called the company’s response “adequate”.
By late Thursday, all of the fires had been doused but many areas remained silent and dark after residents fled and after power companies cut electricity to prevent further fires.
Schools in all three communities were cancelled for yesterday, and some schools were being used as shelters for residents. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency blamed the fires on gas lines that had become overpressurised but said investigators were still examining what happened.
Columbia Gas had announced earlier Thursday that it would be upgrading gas lines in neighbourhoods across the state, including the area where the explosions happened.