Gas blasts set over 60 homes ablaze in US

Gas-line explosions tore through several Massachusetts communities on Thursday, setting homes on fire, forcing evacuations in three towns and leaving at least 10 people hospitalised.

Hours later, city officials were still unsure exactly what caused the blasts.

Amanda Morera and Nick Kennedy of North Andover said they watched a neighbour stumble out of his house after a small explosion on Thursday afternoon. The man was not injured, they said, but looked stunned.

“He was wicked shocked,” Morera said. “Who wouldn’t be?”

The couple were still deciding whether to leave after the emergency workers told them they were better off elsewhere. They said they were probably going to spend the night with a family member in Haverhill.

State police received between 60 and 100 reports of structure fires and gas explosions in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover on Thursday afternoon.

Fire and police departments from neighbouring areas sent assistance. Among the officers were Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon, who said that there were so many fires “you can’t even see the sky.”