In Woburn, Mass., National Grid shut off gas to 339 homes after a worker inadvertently over-pressurized a line Oct. 8. A similar occurrence Sept. 13 in a Columbia Gas line in the region apparently triggered explosions and fires that burned 80 structures in three localities.
The Massachusetts Dept. of Public Utilities will hire an independent firm to examine the commonwealth’s natural gas distribution system in the wake of massive gas explosions in three towns north of Boston.