One dead & 12 injured as dozens of gas blasts rock Boston suburbs in US

Dozens of explosions, apparently triggered by a natural gas pipeline rupture, rocked three communities near Boston on Thursday, killing at least one person, injuring 12 and prompting the evacuation of hundreds, officials said.

The blasts left dozens of homes and other buildings demolished or engulfed in flames as firefighters from some 50 departments raced for hours from one blaze to another and utility crews rushed to shut off gas and electricity in the area to prevent further ignitions. Police drove up and down streets with bullhorns telling residents to vacate their homes immediately.

Fire investigators suspected “over-pressurization of a gas main” belonging to Columbia Gas of Massachusetts led to the series of explosions and fires, Andover Fire Chief Michael Mansfield told a news conference. Columbia Gas, a unit of the utility giant NiSource Inc, announced earlier on Thursday that it would be upgrading gas lines in neighbourhoods across the state, including the area where the explosions occurred. However, it was not immediately known whether any work was being done in those communities at the time.