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Patrick @TrickFreee
, 11 tweets, 4 min read Read on Twitter
Residents and workers in three Lawrence, MA communities are being urged by state police to evacuate any buildings or homes with Columbia Gas service after as many as 50 fires and explosions were reported across the region Thursday afternoon.
wcvb.com/article/lawren…
The explosions are initially being blamed on a pressurization issue in the gas lines. Gas lines are currently being depressurized by the company.

More Than Three Dozen Fires And Explosions Are Burning Homes Near Boston, Forcing Evacuations buzzfeednews.com/article/jimdal…
In 2011, built-up pressure in natural gas lines led to a house explosion in an Ohio town, caused a series of fires, and prompted a brief evacuation order for the village of about 3,000 people. ohio.com/akron/news/nor…
Service Map: Lawrence, Andover, North Andover columbiagasma.com/docs/default-d…
Columbia Gas was reportedly working to expand the pipeline. masslive.com/news/index.ssf…
A cyberattack in March hobbled the operations of at least four natural gas pipeline companies. Utility owner NiSource Inc. (Columbia Gas' parent company) temporarily suspended its data exchange with two pipeline suppliers affected by the cyber attack. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
"ESG’s systems are said to include tracking and scheduling of gas flows in pipelines, as well as energy demand tracking." ESG is "an electronic system run by Energy Services Group LLC, the data firm that was hacked."
"...Energy Services Group, said in a brief interview at the company’s headquarters in Norwell, Massachusetts."
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
The history of other accidents also came as the National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation that showed Columbia Gas pipes in the area of the explosions had been over-pressurized.

Owner of Columbia Gas linked to 3 prior gas line blasts
usatoday.com/story/money/20…
Pressure sensors focus of gas explosions probe apnews.com/185462c04eec45…
Pressure before Massachusetts gas explosions was 12 times higher than normal

Democratic U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey sent the letter Monday seeking answers about the explosions from the heads of Columbia Gas.
nbcnews.com/news/us-news/p…
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Imagine being this willfully ignorant.
For Reference: www-mercurynews-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.mercur…
Also for reference: nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna8…
Read 3 tweets
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On the second episode of Hasan Minhaj’s new show, he highlights the role Saudi money plays in propping up Silicon Valley companies. Now @Netflix has removed the episode at the request of the Saudi government. ft.com/content/5121f0…
The episode was only pulled in the KSA.
"Clearly, the best way to stop people from watching something is to ban it, make it trend online, and then leave it up on YouTube."

Hasan Minhaj speaks out after Netflix pulls an episode of "Patriot Act" in Saudi Arabia. wapo.st/2CKVJLC
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Russia's domestic security agency says it has arrested U.S. citizen Paul Whelan on espionage charges. The FSB said that the American man detained in Moscow on Friday.
Spying charges carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years in Russia. cbsnews.com/amp/news/paul-…
Paul Whelan's lawyer tells NYT he hopes he can be part of a prisoner exchange with the US [for Butina] nytimes.com/2019/01/03/wor…
Read 3 tweets

Related threads

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Yesterday, I declared a state of emergency that allowed @EversourceMA to take control over a plan to restore utilities in the affected areas. They quickly mobilized a leadership team, set up a centrally located command center + organized the deployment of hundreds of gas workers.
Local, State and Federal officials have been working around the clock. While we all know that there is a lot of work left to do, we are starting to make some progress.

The work to recover from this incident is being broken down into three phases.
The first phase is all about getting people back into their homes safely and restoring electricity. Technicians and fire personnel are deployed to work designated areas one at a time. They are shutting off gas meters and inspecting buildings to make sure it is safe to re-enter.
Read 10 tweets
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Eversource is taking over the Columbia Gas emergency in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover; Here's what happens next
masslive.com/news/boston/in… gab.ai/intelmosaic/po…
2. INTERESTING: "State law allows for the chair of Department of Public Utilities to issue orders to any utility upon authorization of the governor during a state of emergency."
3. "The company is now in charge of having its technicians go out to homes and turn off gas and check for gas leaks."
Read 32 tweets
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Once again, tonight I want to thank our first responders and firefighters from communities across the Commonwealth that have responded to the situation in #Lawrence, #Andover and #NorthAndover. #MVGasFire
Our priority remains getting electricity to the affected households as quickly as possible, while ensuring the safety of residents.
This afternoon, I declared a State of Emergency, which authorized DPU to allow @EversourceMA to take over utility restoration efforts. We took this step after it became clear to us that Columbia Gas was inadequately prepared to take the steps needed. ow.ly/3L4630lPuKN
Read 7 tweets
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There is a veritable news blackout on the MA explosions.
@CNN is 100% #Florence (not that it's not a major story) and @maddow is Manafort.
Local Boston news reports evacuations throughout Lawrence, South Lawrence, Andover, North Andover, Merrimack. All schools will be closed.
1/
Although initial reports asserted the explosions were related to Columbia Gas, expanded reports required evacuations no matter what gas company was used.
There were, at 9pm EST, more than 70 fires reported. 38 Fires extinguished in Andover alone, with 17 additional gas leaks.
2/
Here's what should concern all residents: Lawrence, South Lawrence, Andover and North Andover leaders say there is no timeline on when residents can return.

Why is that?
3/
Read 11 tweets
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(1) Thread: Merrimack Valley gas line explosions and fires.

There's a lot of panic and misinformation being reported. I'm getting my info from @MassStatePolice & the state fire marshal.

NBC Boston live coverage: nbcboston.com/news/local/Mul…
(2) From the above story. Authorities are not asking residents to turn off their home's gas supply, they are just saying get out of the building asap.

Importantly, using a cell phone can ignite gas if it's built up in the room.
(3) Like I said,

Read 39 tweets

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