On Sept. 13, 2018, at 4:04 p.m., an alarm sounded at a natural gas monitoring center in Columbus, Ohio. High-pressured natural gas had just been released into a low-pressure gas line in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley. Soon, buildings in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover would explode and catch fire. Thousands of people would be ordered to flee their homes and seek safety on the streets. GBH Reporters were there to collect their stories and get answers to the questions on everyone’s mind: How did this happen? And, could it happen again?
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On Sept. 13, 2018, at 4:04 p.m., an alarm sounded at a natural gas monitoring center in Columbus, Ohio. High-pressured natural gas had just been released into a low-pressure gas line in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley. Soon, buildings in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover would explode and catch fire. Thousands of people would be ordered to flee their homes and seek safety on the streets. GBH Reporters were there to collect their stories and get answers to the questions on everyone’s mind: How did this happen? And, could it happen again?
Within moments of the first alarms, homes and businesses in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley are aflame. Hundreds of people call 9-1-1, as thousands of residents in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover run from their homes, seeking safety in the streets. By the time the gas is shut off, 131 buildings are damaged or destroyed, one person is dead, and nearly two dozen are transported to hospitals.
Fire In The Valley
On Sept. 13, 2018, at 4:04 p.m., an alarm sounded at a natural gas monitoring center in Columbus, Ohio. High-pressured natural gas had just been released into a low-pressure gas line in Massachusetts’ Merrimack Valley. Soon, buildings in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover would explode and catch fire. Thousands of people would be ordered to flee their homes and seek safety on the streets. GBH Reporters were there to collect their stories and get answers to the questions on everyone’s mind: How did this happen? And, could it happen again?
