A series of gas explosions caused fires at more than 70 homes across three communities in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts on Thursday, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate and injuring at least six people.
NBC10 Boston helicopter footage showed more than six houses smoking or in flames across the region, with a massive response from firefighters and police amid a problem with a gas line that feeds homes in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence.
Andover officials said they struck a 10-alarm response, its maximum traditional fire response. More than 50 fire vehicles and 10 ambulances responded. They said all 35 fires in their town have been extinguished.
Enormous regulations. This appears to be a case of a pressure regulator on the mainline failing sending gas down the line at excessive pressures that blew the regulators on the meters.
