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On September 23rd 1983, a natural gas regulator failed
and caused a gas surge into many homes in East Boston. At about 3:30 in the
morning, a water main broke, which damaged the underground natural gas
valve. The result was a large surge in pressure throughout the
neighborhood.
About 30 fires were started, most of them minor. A two
alarm fire was started on Jeffries Street, and a three alarm fire was
started on Morris Street. At about 4:00 am, nine alarms were sounded as the
nature and implications of the disaster had quickly been discerned.
The Mama Catina's Restaurant at Porter and London Streets
exploded, and then burst into flames. The building had a large billboard on its
roof which became unstable. This was the most serious fire caused by the gas
surge, and the remains of the building were torn down within days after the
explosion.
The fire and police departments cut-off access to East
Boston. The police department used megaphones to ask residents to shut
off gas lines in their homes. Hundreds of people wandered about the streets in
the early morning hours in fear of fire due to the gas surge. Luckily, no injuries
resulted from this strange accident.
The Paramount Hotel Fire
of 1966 was caused by a gas leak, and eleven people tragically lost their
lives in that accident.
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