The East Boston gas surge was a series of fires and at least one explosion that took place early on the morning of September 23, 1983.
An underground control that regulated the flow of natural gas failed, causing a surge of the fuel into the neighborhood of East Boston, Massachusetts.
[1] The sudden swell of gas rushed into businesses and residences, increasing the size of pilot lights to as much as a foot high.
A number of fires started as a result and the second floor of one building in the Central Square area exploded.
People rushed into the streets, and McClellan Highway and the Callahan Tunnel were closed to incoming traffic with the exception of emergency vehicles.