A Lawrence man died, and at least 25 others were injured in the fires, officials said. Leonel Rondon, 18, had been sitting inside a car when an explosion in Lawrence caused a chimney to fall on the vehicle, according to the Essex district attorney’s office. State and local emergency workers descended quickly on the three Merrimack Valley communities, knocking down the fires, tending to the injured, and working through the night to inspect and shut off 8,000 gas meters. LAWRENCE — More than 60 fires and at least three gas explosions rocked Lawrence, North Andover, and Andover in a staccato burst of flame and fear late Thursday afternoon, damaging scores of buildings and prompting mass evacuations from homes served by Columbia Gas. Advertisement A spokeswoman for the state fire marshal’s office said investigators are focusing on overpressurization of a gas main owned by Columbia Gas, which serves about 50,000 customers in and around Lawrence and had been upgrading its equipment in the area. “This is like Armageddon,” said Garry Frizzell, 51, of North Andover, as he watched emergency vehicles roar past his house toward two nearby fires. Frizzell said he had smelled gas in his house at 4:45 p.m. “I said, ‘I left the stove on’ — then I realized I hadn’t used it in three days,” he said. Nearby, one man ran from house to house shutting off gas mains. The house explosions and fires started about 4:30 p.m., erupting sporadically as firefighters responded to them for more than three hours in the three communities. National Grid, which provides electricity to the area, turned off power to its customers in the affected area, said National Grid spokeswoman Christine Milligan. Nearly 18,000 National Grid customers in the three communities were without power as of 3 a.m., according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Advertisement After the conflagrations began, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera asked all residents of South Lawrence to evacuate their homes. The power outages gave that part of the city an eerie vibe Thursday night. Homes, fast food restaurants, gas stations, traffic lights — all were dark. Officials directed traffic at some intersections with flashlights. Multiple streets were closed to vehicles. “This has obviously been an incredibly difficult day,” said Governor Charlie Baker at a news conference held at the impromptu emergency operations center in a Lawrence parking lot. Without naming Columbia Gas, he said early Friday the utility company “must immediately bring in additional resources and develop a comprehensive safety inspection plan for each of these communities.” Columbia Gas, in a statement, said Thursday night that its “crews are currently responding to reports of multiple fires in Lawrence. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by today’s incident.” Baker said he was “especially heartbroken” to learn of Rondon’s death. “I ask everyone to think of the family who lost a loved one today and to pray for everyone who’s been injured,” he said. Rivera, for his part, said the firefighters who responded to Thursday’s blazes were tired. “They fought a lot of fires today,” said Rivera after midnight. He also worked to assure those who were evacuated from south Lawrence that their homes would be kept safe. The police presence in that part of the city Thursday night was heavy and noticeable. Cruisers patrolled the thickly settled neighborhoods slowly with their blue lights flashing. Advertisement Rivera implored patience from residents, telling them to only come home after officials had given the all clear, which might not be “anytime soon.” Officials detailed a massive undertaking as public safety workers checked for gas and shut off mains. Andover Town Manager Andrew P. Flanagan, said only part of the town needed to remain evacuated and for those in the area affected, teams of firefighters, police, and a natural gas technician were going to door-to-door to confirm the gas was turned off. “If it has not been shut off, it will be shut off,” he said. William Hartung, a 49-year-old subcontractor, said Thursday evening was hectic in South Lawrence. Many people were in front of their homes, confused, he said. Traffic was snarled. Streets were shut down. There was a heavy police presence directing people where to go, he said. “It felt like martial law,” he said. Boston police planned to send 40 officers to the communities “to provide whatever assistance is required or needed to help restore calm and keep people safe,” said Officer James Kenneally, a department spokesman. Streets bordered by flames soon were covered in a tangle of water hoses from fire equipment rushed to the scene from dozens of communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. State Police converged on the area, as did scores of local safety personnel. Dozens of fires and explosions broke out in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover Thursday afternoon. Share Email to a Friend Embed Dozens of fires and explosions broke out in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover Thursday afternoon. Bewildered and sometimes-panicked residents, responding to shouts from police and fire officials to leave their homes, poured into the streets, asking friends and strangers for scraps of information. Advertisement “It’s crazy,” said Matt Bourque, 28, who grew up in Lawrence. “You never think something like this could happen right down the street.” At one point in Andover there were said to be 18 fires burning at once. The Andover Senior Center and Youth Center were opened for displaced residents. Other shelters were opened in Lawrence and North Andover. Public schools in Andover, North Andover, and Lawrence will be closed on Friday, according to postings on their home pages. As dusk fell Thursday, residents gathered at North Andover High School. Some called family. Others calmed children. And just about everyone was exchanging information — how many fires and where? “Have you heard anything?” was the common question. People also told their stories. “I was cooking in the house around 4:15 or so, and my stove went out,” recalled Terry Dunlavey of North Andover. She said she called her landlady and soon found out what was happening, as she heard sirens. “It was chaos, absolute chaos,” said Dunlavey, who added that she was thinking about victims. “If anyone prays, pray,” she said. Columbia Gas began cutting off service after the explosions. The utility is part of NiSource, one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the country, with approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers, according to the company’s website. Nisource stock was down as much as 10 percent in premarket trading. A press release published Thursday on Columbia Gas’s website announced work to upgrade natural gas lines and improve service, including four ongoing projects in Andover, three in Lawrence, and two in North Andover. Advertisement James Cohne and Jack Ventre, both 11, were returning from playing in a park in Lawrence when they saw a house smoking on Green Street, next door to Cohne’s house. The boys ran inside and called for help. “My husband I came running out in our bare feet,” said Christine Cohne, who called 911. The dispatcher on the other end of the line replied: “There’s fires all around you. If you smell gas, get out,’ ” Cohne said. “I had no idea that all this was happening.” Elsewhere in Lawrence, a fire had flattened a home on Jefferson Street, and a team of firefighters worked into the night to make sure it was under control. Some of them stood on a brick staircase leading up to where the front door should have been. A blackened wall hung crazily on one side. On Friday morning, even as gas mains were still being shut off house by house, federal officials who will help take the lead in the investigation of the explosions and fires were already on the ground with others en route Massachusetts. Kurt N. Schwartz, who leads the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, told reporters some officials from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration were already in Massachusetts with more coming in the overnight hours. And a team from the National Transportation Safety Board, which also has jurisdiction, would be in Massachusetts soon. Those two agencies will take the lead in the federal investigation of gas troubles, he said.<doc-sep>LAWRENCE (CBS) – One person is dead and dozens more were injured in a series of gas explosions and fires that damaged homes in three communities north of Boston Thursday afternoon. A gas main was over-pressurized affecting customers in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover. Anyone who has gas service from Columbia Gas was told to leave their homes until further notice. Teams consisting of gas technicians, fire and police personnel were going door-to-door to make sure the gas is shut off to about 8,500 meters in homes and businesses. According to MEMA, 3,500 of those meters were checked overnight, but there is still no further information about the cause. Read: List Of Streets Where Emergency Crews Will Visit Read: Andover Safe Streets List Read: North Andover Safe Streets List In a news conference Friday, Governor Baker urged anyone who’s allowed back in their homes to not turn on the gas themselves, but instead wait for the proper authorities to do it. “Our thoughts are with the community. We are focused on providing as much support as possible to our customers,” Columbia Gas said in a tweet Friday morning. “If you are a customer that has been affected in Merrimack Valley please call our dedicated customer service line 1-866-388-3239.” In Lawrence, a young man was killed when a home exploded on Chickering Road. The Essex District Attorney says 18-year-old Leonel Rondon was inside an SUV in the driveway of the home when a chimney fell on it. Rondon was pronounced dead at Massachusetts General Hospital. Power was shut off in large sections of the three communities as a precaution. Images from WBZ-TV’s Skyeye helicopter Thursday night showed huge areas of darkened neighborhoods, illuminated only by the lights of police cruisers, dispersed to keep the peace and direct traffic. Andover Police say the power will be out until at least 9 a.m. Saturday According to MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz, emergency crews responded to between 60 and 80 fires, and three explosions within a very short time frame. There were a total of 38 fires in Andover alone. All fires were extinguished by 6:45 p.m. At peak, 18 fires were burning at the same time. Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield said he has not seen anything like this in his 39-year career. “It looked like Armageddon, it really did,” Chief Mansfield said. “There were billows of smoke coming from Lawrence behind me, I could see plumes of smoke in front of me, within the town of Andover, it looked like an absolute war zone.” Mansfield estimated it could be a week and a half before every home in Andover is deemed safe for return. According to MEMA Director Kurt Schwartz, at least 25 people were treated for injuries. Lawrence General Hospital was treating 13 patients from the gas explosions. The injuries ranged from smoke inhalation to “traumatic blast injuries.” It is still not clear what caused the explosions and fires. The Department of Public Utilities and MEMA from a state level, and the Department of Public Utilities and NTSB from the federal level, will be involved in the investigation. MSP Fusion Center has current updated tally of responses to fires/explosions/investigations of gas odor at 70. Spread over wide swath of south #Lawrence and northern part of #NorthAndover with several others across Merrimack River in north Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/a7kBYaWFrJ — Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) September 13, 2018 WBZ-TV’s Cheryl Fiandaca reports that Columbia Gas was doing work in the area earlier on Thursday. Governor Charlie Baker described the response by Columbia Gas as “adequate,” in a press conference Thursday night. “There’s a lot more work that’s left to be done,” Gov. Baker said. “If you were to ask me to give a grade I think for all of this at this point it would be incomplete, there’s a lot more to do.” Early Friday the governor said the immediate focus remained on ensuring public safety. Once that work is done, Baker said, “we’ll work with federal government and others to investigate how this occurred and to hold the appropriate parties accountable for their actions.” Hours after the explosions, Columbia Gas issued a statement saying, “The first priority for our crews at the scene is to ensure the safety of our customers and the community by supporting first responders and completing safety checks on our system and in the surrounding area.” Related: What Evacuated Residents Should Do | Care For Pets The FBI was also on scene Thursday. “We are coordinating with our law enforcement partners as expected and personnel are on scene, as we normally would be in a situation like this to assess the situation,” the FBI said in a statement. All off-ramps on I-495 from Exits 41 through 45 in the area remain closed early Friday morning. On-ramps remained open to allow evacuations. MBTA service in the area was also impacted. The Haverhill Line commuter rail will only run between Reading and North Station on Friday. Buses will run from Haverhill and Bradford to Woburn. School was canceled in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover on Friday.<doc-sep>A teenager has been killed and at least 10 other people injured after a series of gas explosions rocked three communities north of Boston on Thursday. Authorities said Leonel Rondon, 18, of Lawrence, died after a chimney toppled by an exploding house crashed into his car. He was rushed to a Boston hospital but pronounced dead there in the evening. Entire neighbourhoods were evacuated as crews scrambled to fight the flames in at least 39 homes and turn off gas and electric lines to prevent further damage Massachusetts State Police urged all residents with homes serviced by Columbia Gas in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover to evacuate, halting traffic and causing widespread confusion as residents and local officials struggled to understand what was happening. “It looked like Armageddon, it really did,” Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield told reporters. “There were billows of smoke coming from Lawrence behind me. I could see pillars of smoke in front of me from the town of Andover.” Charlie Baker, governor of Massachusetts, said state and local authorities are investigating but that it could take days or weeks before they can provide answers. “This is still very much an active scene,” he said. “There will be plenty of time later tonight, tomorrow morning and into the next day to do some of the work around determining exactly what happened and why.” Local authorities are investigating the incident but it could take days or weeks before they can provide answers (Getty) Hours after the explosions, the energy firm’s parent company issued a brief statement saying its crews were still performing safety checks in the area. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by today's incident,” Indiana-based NiSource said in a statement. “The first priority for our crews at the scene is to ensure the safety of our customers and the community.” Mr Baker previously said authorities hadn't heard directly from Columbia Gas, but later called the company's response “adequate”. By late Thursday, all of the fires had been put out but many areas remained silent and dark after residents fled and after power companies cut electricity to prevent further fires. Schools in all three communities were cancelled for Friday, and some schools were being used as shelters for residents. Lawrence General Hospital said it was treating 10 victims, including at least one in critical condition. Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Show all 11 1 /11 Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Massachusetts explosion – in pictures In this image take from video provided by WCVB in Boston, flames consume the roof of a home AP Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Firefighters battle the fire EPA Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Firefighters battle the blaze AP Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Multiple fire trucks from surrounding communities arrive AP Massachusetts explosion – in pictures A police officer adjusts his mask EPA Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Bystanders watch the firefighting effort EPA Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Firefighters battle the fire EPA Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Firefighters gain entrance into a house through a basement window to check the gas line EPA Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Firefighters gain entrance into a house through a basement window to check the gas line EPA Massachusetts explosion – in pictures Residents cover their face from the smoke while being evacuated from homes AP Massachusetts explosion – in pictures A Boston Fire Department truck crew patrols for signs of gas leaks or fires EPA The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency blamed the fires on gas lines that had become over-pressurised but said investigators were still examining what happened. Columbia Gas had announced earlier on Thursday that it would be upgrading gas lines across the state, including the area where the explosions happened. It was not clear whether work was happening there on Thursday. Some local officials described scenes of panic as residents rushed to evacuate, many wondering if their homes would be next to erupt in flames. In North Andover, town selectman Phil Decologero said his entire neighbourhood had gathered in the street, afraid to enter their homes. Just a few streets down, he said, homes were burning. “It's definitely a scary situation at the moment,” he said. “It's pretty severe.” Aerial footage of the area showed some homes that appeared to be torn apart by blasts. At one, the upper portion of a brick chimney crushed an SUV parked in the driveway. At least 39 homes went up in flames (Getty) Soon after the first fires, Lawrence City Councilor Marc Laplante was warning residents in the Colonial Heights neighbourhood to evacuate but said traffic had become a problem. “People need to get out of this area safely,” he said at the time. “It's really difficult because the traffic right now is horrendous.” Joseph Solomon, the police chief in nearby Methuen, said 20 to 25 homes were on fire in Lawrence when he responded to help. He said there are so many fires “you can't even see the sky”. The three communities house more than 146,000 residents about 26 miles north of Boston, near the New Hampshire border. Lawrence, the largest of them, is a majority Latino city with a population of about 80,000. “Lawrence is a very resilient community. We're going to get through this together,” Mayor Dan Rivera told reporters as emergency lights illuminated smoke in the night sky nearby. Associated Press ​contributed to this report<doc-sep>
A series of gas explosions one official described as “Armageddon” killed a teenager, injured at least 10 people and ignited fires in at least 39 homes in three communities north of Boston on Thursday, forcing entire neighborhoods to evacuate as crews scrambled to fight the flames and shut off the gas. Authorities said Leonel Rondon, 18, of Lawrence, died Thursday after a chimney toppled by an exploding house crashed into his car. He was rushed to a Boston hospital but pronounced dead there in the evening. Massachusetts State Police urged all residents with homes in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover serviced by Columbia Gas to evacuate, snarling traffic and causing widespread confusion as residents and local officials struggled to understand what was happening. “It looked like Armageddon — it really did,” Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield told reporters. “There were billows of smoke coming from Lawrence behind me. I could see pillars of smoke in front of me from the town of Andover.” Gov. Charlie Baker said state and local authorities were investigating but that it could take days or weeks before they turn up answers. “This is still very much an active scene,” he said. “There will be plenty of time later tonight, tomorrow morning and into the next day to do some of the work around determining exactly what happened and why.” (Los Angeles Times) Early Friday, the utility issued a statement saying its crews need to visit each of the 8,600 affected customers to shut off each gas meter and conduct a safety inspection. “Additional support is being provided by crews from several affiliated Columbia Gas companies and other utilities,” the statement said. “We expect this will be an extended restoration effort, and we will work tirelessly to restore service to the affected customers.” Baker previously said authorities hadn’t heard directly from Columbia Gas, but later called the company’s response “adequate.” By late Thursday, all the fires had been doused but many areas remained silent and dark after residents fled and power companies cut electricity to prevent further blazes. Schools in all three communities were canceled for Friday; some were being used as shelters for residents. Lawrence resident Bruce Razin was among the evacuees standing outside the Colonial Heights neighborhood near the city’s high school trying to decide what to do next. Officials had cut power in the area and the streets were pitch-black, save for emergency vehicle lights. Razin said he arrived just as residents were being evacuated, and immediately saw that the house two doors down had been leveled by an explosion. “I couldn’t imagine if that was my house,” said Razin, who purchased his home nearly two years ago. “It’s total destruction. I’d be completely devastated.” With a backpack filled with personal items he had hastily grabbed, he said he’d head to his mother’s home a few towns over for the night. In Lawrence, a man whose neighborhood was among dozens that erupted in fire said he ran into his basement to find that the room was glowing. Resident Ra Nam said he was in his yard when the smoke detector in his basement went off around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. When he ran downstairs and saw the boiler on fire, he quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put it out. Minutes later, Nam said, he heard a loud boom from his neighbor’s house and the ground shook. He said a woman and two kids had made it out of the house but its basement was on fire. Lawrence General Hospital said it was treating 10 victims, including at least one in critical condition. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency blamed the fires on gas lines that had become over-pressurized but said investigators were still examining what happened. Columbia Gas had announced earlier Thursday that it would be upgrading gas lines in neighborhoods across the state, including the area where the explosions happened. It was not clear whether work was happening there Thursday, and a spokeswoman did not return calls. Some local officials reached by phone described scenes of panic as residents rushed to evacuate, many wondering whether their homes would be next to erupt in flames. In North Andover, town Selectman Phil DeCologero said his entire neighborhood had gathered in the street, afraid to enter their homes. Just a few streets down, he said, homes were burning. “It’s definitely a scary situation at the moment,” he said.