LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) – More than 50 homes in Lawrence were evacuated Monday afternoon after a private contractor ruptured a low-pressure gas line.
A contractor struck a low-pressure gas line on Florence Avenue at 12:30 p.m., prompting officials to evacuate residents from 53 homes, according to Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera.
Crews from Columbia Gas worked throughout the day to fix the line.
“I have no heat, I have no gas,” resident Laura Cortez said from her porch. “Luckily we do have light. But, I was actually going to cook and I turned on the oven and it wasn’t turning on.”
“We’re working to make sure the system is safe,” said Columbia Gas spokeswoman Kelly Merritt. “We had appropriately marked [gas] lines correctly and the contractor didn’t follow protocol.”
A shelter temporarily opened up at the Arlington School at 153 Arlington St.
Rivera said that the incident is “not related to the ongoing Columbia Gas issues.”
People were allowed back into their homes by 6 p.m.
No one was hurt but many say they were inconvenienced.
“I think it’s the contractors that should be more careful and making sure they’re doing the right things,” resident Mary-Ellen McCallister said.
Customers are being asked to return to their homes so that Columbia Gas crews can perform safety checks and relight natural gas appliances.
Customers who are not home during the attempts should call the 24/7 Customer Call Center hotline at 1-866-388-3239 to request their relight.
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