Andover Townsman, Andover, MA

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January 26, 2010

Gas-main explosion evacuates neighborhood

By Bethany Bray

A neighborhood was evacuated after an underground high-pressure natural-gas main ruptured under Sweetbriar Lane around noon on Tuesday, Jan. 26, leaving a gaping hole six feet deep in the middle of the roadway.
Before Bay State Gas Company arrived to shut off the main, the natural gas venting from the six inch pipe sounded “like the roar of a jet engine,” said Andover Police Lt. Commander James Hashem.
Police went door-to-door telling residents in a dozen homes to evacuate.
“{We said,] don’t touch anything, just go,” said Hashem. “There can be an ignition source anywhere.”
No one was injured in the incident. Gas service to 100 homes has been shut off, said Bay State Gas spokeswoman Sheila Doiron.
As of 2 p.m., Sweetbriar Lane remained closed as chunks of asphalt and dirt lay scattered around the street, blown several feet from the hole.
Gas-company personnel are working to repair the main and police will stay in the neighborhood throughout the afternoon and evening, said Hashem. Neighborhood residents will be notified as soon as gas service is restored, but repair work could last through the night Tuesday, he said.
“Repairs are underway, and we’re hoping to make all the repairs into the early evening tonight,” said Doiron. “We will re-light each house individually, into the night ... our No. 1 priority is getting our customers back in service.”
Members of the Red Cross were on the scene Tuesday afternoon, making sure all the evacuees had a safe place to go, prepared to set up a shelter if overnight accommodations were needed.
As service is restored to homes, gas company personnel will have to go inside each home, checking each gas appliance to make sure it is working safely, said Doiron.
“(Gas main ruptures) are rare, clearly not a common occurrence. But when it happens, we’re equipped to handle it,” said Doiron. “Everything is under control at this point.”

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