Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions

It has been three years since gas explosions rocked Merrimack Valley, but many victims are still without compensation from a class action settlement. The Massachusetts communities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover were impacted. About 8,000 people were displaced, and 18-year-old Leonel Rondon was killed. Columbia Gas was forced to pay more than $56 million in fines and was barred…

Three years after the gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley, many are still waiting on their checks from a class action settlement with Columbia Gas.

Sept. 13, 2018, is a day that residents of the Merrimack Valley will never forget. Explosions and fires rocked the cities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, killed one man and seriously injured more than a dozen others. Leonel Rondon, 18, died when a chimney fell on top of his parked car. About 8,000 people were displaced after more than…

Sept. 13, 2018 is a day that residents of the Merrimack Valley will never forget. Explosions and fires rocked the cities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, killing one man and seriously injuring others.

Sunday marks two years since the Merrimack Valley was rocked by gas explosions that left 18-year-old Leonel Rondon dead and 25 others injured. During an emotional ceremony Sunday, Rondon’s family thanked firefighters for their continued efforts to keep their community safe. “These brave men and women rushed to save lives and they saved every life except for one,” said Doug…

Sunday marks two years since the Merrimack Valley was rocked by gas explosions.
During an emotional ceremony, the family of the man who died, Leonel Rondon, thanked firefighters for their continued efforts to keep their community safe.

A week after a federal judge sentenced a Massachusetts utility to pay $53 million for its role in the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, Massachusetts’ attorney general has reached an agreement with the company for an even greater sum. Columbia Gas agreed to a $56 million settlement and will not be allowed to operate in the Bay State again, Attorney General…

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly gas explosions that rocked Lawrence, Andover and North Andover more than a year and a half ago was sentenced Tuesday to pay a $53 dollar fine and serve three years probation.

Columbia Gas will be sentenced virtually by a federal judge in Boston Tuesday in connection with the Merrimack Valley Gas Disaster.

The utility behind the deadly gas explosions that rocked Lawrence, Andover and North Andover more than a year and a half ago must pay a hefty $53 million fine in 30 days and serve three years probation. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Columbia Gas of Massachusetts in Boston Tuesday morning, setting a deadline for the…

The first $70 million in settlement payments to people affected by a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018 will be mailed Friday.

The first $70 million in settlement payments to people affected by a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018 will be mailed Friday, about six weeks earlier than expected, attorneys involved in the case said. “For those residents who filed a claim with the administrator seeking a lump-sum payment, the average per-household payment will be more than $8,000,”…

Columbia Gas is expected to plead guilty today in federal court to causing the explosions in the Merrimack Valley in September 2018.

A 42-year Columbia Gas employee said his bosses ignored repeated warning about potential safety issues. But not federal investigators, who used the retired utility worker’s testimony to help build their criminal case. On Wednesday, Bart Maderios reacted to the federal criminal charges against his former employer. “I cried for days. It devastated me for months,” Maderios said of the...

A whistleblower says he warned his company of potential problems before the Merrimack Valley gas explosions.

Columbia Gas will pay a $53 million criminal fine for breaking a federal pipeline safety law and plead guilty to causing a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts that killed one person and damaged dozens of homes, federal officials announced Wednesday.

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, will pay a $53 million fine and be sold by its parent company, NiSource.

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, will pay a $53 million fine and be sold by its parent company, NiSource, after agreeing to plead guilty in connection with the disaster, authorities announced Wednesday. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a press conference that Columbia Gas had agreed to plead guilty to felony violation of…

If you get pulled over in another state, it could come back to haunt you in Massachusetts.