H'mm…multiple BOOMS!
(((As many as 39 explosions, fires reported in Lawrence, Andover, North Andover; evacuations ordered)))
LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - All Columbia Gas customers in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover have been urged to evacuate immediately after as many as 70 gas-related explosions and fires rocked multiple homes and buildings in the area Thursday night, leaving several people with injuries, officials said.
Troopers, firefighters and emergency crews are responding to the areas of Springfield Street and Chickering Road in Lawrence, as well as Phillips and North Main streets in North Andover, among dozens of other locations, according to state police.
Crews are working to depressurize gas lines across the region but the process may take quite some time. National Grid is also shutting off power to the area.
Lawrence police say a woman who was left trapped in a home on Chickering Road suffered leg injuries, while a man in a car nearby was seriously hurt by a falling chimney. At least four people were said to be undergoing treatment at Lawrence General Hospital.
Andover town officials say at least three people were injured, including one firefighter and two civilians.
At the peak, 18 fires were burning at the same time in Andover. They have since been extinguished, however, fire crews are still working in Lawrence and North Andover.
https://whdh.com/news/as-many-as-70-gas-related-explosions-fires-rock-lawrence-andover-north-andover/