At least 50 homes EXPLODE across three Boston suburbs after gas main meltdown

According to an article in the Daily Mail, things are getting very hot in Boston due to a major gas main explosion.

I seriously hope everyone is ok.

Thousands of residents are being evacuated apparently.

www.dailymail.co.uk... age-homes-sky.html

How can something this widespread be an "accident" ?

🔏🔦

I have no idea.

They are saying it may have been a gas surge that has affected 3 towns.

Here's a live youtube feed.

70 confirmed fires so far.

Power will be shut off to all of Andover, Lawrence and North Andover.

Nothing on casualties yet.

A news conference is due very shortly.

6 patients at Lawrence general, two believed to be critical.

Poor injured innocent souls and the loss of property appears to be huge.

I hope they are all insured or at least, compensated by the gas supplier.

Posted here also

SkyFox saying about 50 as of 19:20 hrs. central time.

Here's a map.

Yeah, I can't see how a "gas surge" could do this. The back pressure necessary to cause that many explosions in that many places across that wide an area ... I'm no expert, but it sure as hell does not make much sense to me.

that's really weird because it's happening in a town near me as well and I'm in Pennsylvania...

a reply to: incoserv


Domestic gas lines have a pressure of 1/2 to 3/4 psi

If the regulator at the distribution main fails and releases high pressure gas into the lines will get a sudden "blowtorch"
effect as the gas surges out and is ignited by pilot lights

originally posted by: studio500
According to an article in the Daily Mail, things are getting very hot in Boston due to a major gas main explosion.

I seriously hope everyone is ok.

Thousands of residents are being evacuated apparently.

www.dailymail.co.uk... age-homes-sky.html

My bet is a SCADA hack occurred.....malicious hack to destroy property.

I think it is well over 50 homes now. Must be a defective major gas valve. They would never put too much pressure in a system like that. It would have to be done slowly.

There was new work in the area, replacing older lines. Must be related.


Earlier on, the Mass State Police made this statement

Mass State Police ‏ Verified account @MassStatePolice Follow Follow @MassStatePolice More Residents in the affected towns of Lawrence/North Andover/Andover who have gas service from Columbia Gas should evacuate their homes immediately if they have not already done so. Gas lines are currently being depressurized by the company it will take some time.

originally posted by: charlyv
I think it is well over 50 homes now. Must be a defective major gas valve. They would never put too much pressure in a system like that. It would have to be done slowly.

There was new work in the area, replacing older lines. Must be related.

So after the main valve is fixed, what's the advice to homes and businesses down the line? There still could be too much pressure in the neighborhoods.

originally posted by: carewemust

originally posted by: charlyv
I think it is well over 50 homes now. Must be a defective major gas valve. They would never put too much pressure in a system like that. It would have to be done slowly.

There was new work in the area, replacing older lines. Must be related.

So after the main valve is fixed, what's the advice to homes and businesses down the line? There still could be too much pressure in the neighborhoods.

Got me! I don't work for the gas company, but they have a # storm on their hands, for sure.

I am sure they are all over the neighborhoods turning off anyone's gas supply. They can do it in the street, without coming into your house.

duplicate post removed

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: studio500
According to an article in the Daily Mail, things are getting very hot in Boston due to a major gas main explosion.

I seriously hope everyone is ok.

Thousands of residents are being evacuated apparently.

www.dailymail.co.uk... age-homes-sky.html

My bet is a SCADA hack occurred.....malicious hack to destroy property.

A SCADA hack makes a lot of sense. If someone were to hack the control system, then the NG source containers, the pumps, pressure regulators, and control valves could be manipulated in such a way that those distribution lines could be rapidly over-pressurized. All the while they could be bypassing any software safeguards built to avoid such a catastrophe.



-dex

I work for TransCanada Pipeline for ten year

Work on 2"" at 100 Psi to 48" at 1000 Psi

Something not right here

Every pressure regulating station should have a failsafe blowoff

to handle the maximin pressure ahead off the regulator

and said system should work even with all power loss

Even if hack thru the scada system is done ***** Failsafe system should have kick-in automatically ******

unless said blow off is manually close by hand or disable or damage on purpose

Maybe a low tech approach to causing gas line failure might include the release of an atomized spray into the distribution lines causing them to corrode.

If the black iron pipe used in most older residences spring small leaks, it wouldn't take long for the areas to reach a combustible level of air/NG. An explosion in one house could easily set off a chain reaction.

-dex

I am very close to this incident. In fact a few of my friends live in the affected area and have been evacuated for safety. I have been speaking with a local volunteer firefighter friend some of the night....as he listens to his radio awaiting being called in.

Our best guess is that due to the aging infrastructure, a gas main faulted in a weak area, and somehow ignited causing the explosion in the main. This caused a back pressure causing the failure of the pressure regulators in the system, forcing high pressure gas down the line to homes. That kind of high pressure would cause further leakages in weakened low pressure pipes (which would explain the randomness of homes exploding or on fire).


UPDATE: Local news reporting one fatality now and 13 patients treated in total. One of those 13 has been flown to Boston General for emergency care.

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
Posted here also

Thread closed.