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BOSTON – The series of gas explosions and fatal fires in three communities north of Boston last week occurred after too much natural gas had been pumped into a section of the pipeline owned by
Columbia Gas
,
causing fuel leakage in homes, said Sunday the authorities.
The National Transportation Safety Council "can confirm at that time that it was actually a situation of overpressure," said NTSB President Robert Sumwalt, at the ##################################################################################### 39, a point of press.
State and federal authorities investigate after at least 60 fires and explosions on gas pipes broke out Thursday in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, about 25 miles north of Boston, killing an 18-year-old man and wounding several people.
The NTSB, which investigates major pipeline accidents and transportation incidents, estimates that gas has entered homes at rates and pressures that are "significantly higher" than expected, Sumwalt said. "The real question for this survey is why it happened," he said.
Mr. Sumwalt said
Columbia Gas
was replacing old cast iron pipes with new plastic pipes. The NTSB wants to know if the construction of the company in the region Thursday afternoon played a role, he said.
Mr. Sumwalt indicated that there were indications that Columbia Gas was controlling the pressure on a different line and that it did not understand what was happening on the line that had become overpressed. He stated that the NTSB will consider "what effect, if any, did this have on the overpressure situation".
NiSource Inc., the parent company of Columbia Gas, is cooperating fully in the investigation, said Joe Hamrock, president and chief executive officer of NiSource, at a press conference Sunday. He stated that the company was "determined to be transparent and collaborative in order to achieve all the underlying causes".
Hamrock declined to discuss the details of the investigation, saying he was referring to the NTSB to discuss the investigation.
"It is heartbreaking to see this devastation and tragedy," he said.
Authorities authorized Sunday thousands of residents to return home after their evacuation. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency urged residents, many of whom remained on the lookout, to "be vigilant" for any sign of gas or smoke.
Sumwalt said the NTSB could take 12 to 24 months to complete its final report, but said the agency could issue urgent safety recommendations if it finds problems that require immediate resolution.
"We want to know what happened so that other communities do not have to suffer the devastation that took place here in this region," he said.
State authorities announced Sunday that they have completed the initial stimulus phase, extinguishing nearly 8,600 affected gas meters, cleaning homes and restoring electricity to a large extent. They said the gas service would take longer to restore.
-Russell Gold contributed to this article.
Write to Jennifer Levitz at [email protected]
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