Officials know cause of Lawrence gas leak; most evacuees allowed to return home

Nearly all of the people evacuated Friday morning in Lawrence after a gas leak will be allowed to return to their homes around 3 p.m., Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera said.

However, those who live on South Broadway or Carver Street between Andover and Merrimack streets will not be allowed to go home quite yet.

Officials also now know what caused the gas leak that shook the city, but say they aren’t ready to release that information to the public.

Asked repeatedly about the cause of the leak at a press conference, Gov. Charlie Baker, Rivera, and other officials would only call it an “isolated incident.”

“We wouldn’t let people back home if there was a bigger issue,” Rivera said.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes as a result of the leak, which came almost exactly a year after the Merrimack Valley gas explosions. The explosions happened in the same general area as Friday’s leak and both incidents involved lines controlled by Columbia Gas.

No fires or explosions happened as a result of this leak, and officials said Friday afternoon that there was no public safety concern due to the gas.

“If you go home and you smell gas, or you smell smoke, or you smell fire, call the fire department — 911,” Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said. “That is all. Everything else has gone extremely well.”

After last year, organizers said emergency shelters set up by the American Red Cross braced for the worst Friday morning, stocking up on food and coming up with ways to entertain the children. The MSPCA even started offering emergency shelter for pets affected by the evacuations.

Gas and power were shut down in the affected area quickly after the leak was reported, so the “immediate danger” was addressed early in the morning.

News of the leak drew sharp criticism throughout the day.

“Columbia gas did a nice job today,” Baker said at the press conference, stressing the word “today.” “They still have a way to go with me.”

He said the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will keep a careful eye on the repairs and investigation following the incident.

Mark Kempic, the president of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts, said people should feel safe when they go to sleep Friday night.

“We continue to regret that last year happened,” he said, “and we do regret that this happened.”

Numerous city, state, and national politicians spoke out about the leak, all questioning how this could happen to many of the same people using the same gas company that was found responsible for last year’s disaster.

Standing outside of the shelter set up at Arlington Middle School, Massachusetts state Sen. Barry Finegold, who represents that area of Lawrence, said he didn’t understand how this happened.

“We are very unhappy with Columbia Gas at this time, and we’re going to want more answers and understand how something like this can happen again,” he said.

Jeovanny Rodriguez, vice president of the Lawrence City Council, also said he wanted to express his concern and frustration with Columbia Gas.

“We’ve been going through this situation that is not fair for the people,” he said.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a statement saying she and others are “demanding answers from Columbia Gas and NiSource about why they keep placing our residents and first responders at risk.”

Rivera said the incident is under investigation and he intends to find out what happened.

“Nobody has been more critical about Columbia Gas than me,” he said. “We will continue to hold Columbia Gas accountable.”