How did the fires in the Merrimack Valley happen? And, could such a disaster happen again?
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. WGBH 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?
The natural gas company has a plan to return service to the nearly 8,000 homes and businesses without heat and hot water, but it will take months and require digging up miles of streets. …
Residents face the first day of life after what’s now known as the Merrimack Valley Disaster. Uncertain when they will be able to return to their …
When WGBH reporters start making their way to the Merrimack Valley, all they know is that buildings and homes are blowing up and catching fire. When they arrive, they discover smoke-filled …
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 …
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