I see a slide coming on with this Smart Meter garbage… can always tell when the shills tack onto a catchphrase like that.
Hacked by black hats. Massive overpressure events like this do happen… see San Bruno, CA. But this feels like a deliberate act to me.
They still have a maximum design pressure that they can vent which can be overcome. Mechanical release valves mean nothing with the kind of pressures involved here.
From Mass.Gov. Seems to me overpressure valves were overrode and boost pumps activated.
Each of the seven local distribution companies ("LDCs") and four Municipal Gas Departments in Massachusetts has a distribution system connected to the transmission companies' pipelines at meter stations throughout the state. These stations (also called take stations or city gates) have two purposes: measurement of gas quantity, and pressure control. The transmission companies measure the amount of gas flowing into each station. The LDCs reduce the pressure of the gas from the transmission lines to match the pressure of their distribution systems.
The gas pressure is controlled by regulators, a special type of valve. The regulators can reduce the gas pressure. If the gas pressure rises above set limits, regulators can also shut off the gas flow entirely.
https://www.mass.gov/service-details/natural-gas-distribution
A gas fire is different than a gas explosion anon.
hmm now that is suspicious. NOTABLE