Award honors firefighters 3 years after gas explosions
Recognition named after Leonel Rondon
The three-year anniversary of the devastating Merrimack Valley gas explosions is today, and the teenager who died will be remembered during a memorial award ceremony.
The 2018 explosions ripped through Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, killing 18-year-old Leonel Rondon, seriously injuring 23 others and damaging 131 buildings.
“Most tragically, Leonel Rondon, a high-school student who was full of life and treasured by his friends and family, lost his life as a result of one of these explosions,” reads an announcement from attorney Douglas Sheff, the lawyer for the Rondon family.
“His family continues to suffer from his horrific and preventable death,” Sheff said.
Rondon died when a chimney dislodged from a house on Chickering Road in Lawrence and landed on the car Rondon, who had just gotten his driver’s license, was sitting in.
Now on the third anniversary of the explosions, Sheff and representatives of the Rondon family will present The Leonel Rondon Memorial Award and a donation to the Lawrence Fire Department to help with fire and explosion prevention.
“Sheff Law commends the department for its heroic efforts and their continuing efforts to protect the citizens of Lawrence from fires and explosions even during these very challenging times,” the ceremony’s press release reads. “The Rondon family will be forever grateful to the Lawrence Fire Department and the selfless dedication of these first responders.”