Dozens of Gas Explosions Near Boston: 1 dead, hundreds evacuated
A natural gas pipeline rupture has triggered dozens of explosions near the city of Boston. The Massachusetts State Police said that a total of 70 fires, explosions or investigation of gas odour had been reported.
Three communities near Boston had gone up in flames. At least one person has been killed. 12 others have been injured. Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the affected areas. Dozens of homes and other buildings were demolished the explosions near Boston. The ones which survived the impact of the blasts were later engulfed in flames.
Firefighters from almost 50 different departments were called in. They raced for hours from one blaze of fire to another. The utility crews also rushed to shut off the gas and electricity supply in the area. This was done in order to prevent further ignitions.
Residents were asked the patrolling cop cars to vacate their homes immediately.
Fire investigators had suspected over-pressurization of the gas mains that belong to the Columbia Gas of Massechuttes led to the successive series of explosions. Columbia Gas is a unit of the utility giant NiSource Inc.
NiSource spokesman, Ken Stammen said, “Columbia Gas is investigating what happened in its system today.” The US Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said that it was sending a team to support the state’s emergency response efforts.
Live TV viewers were able to witness the heroics of the firefighters battling blazes in the former mill town of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. The streets were lightless after dusk as the power supply to the area was cut off as a precautionary measure.
The Boston fire was totally unprecedented and unpredictable. The authorities are looking into the matter which caused the fires. Steps shall surely be taken to curtail and control such disasters in the near future.
