On September 13, 2018, excessive pressure in natural gas lines owned by Columbia Gas of Massachusetts caused a series of explosions and fires to occur in as many as 40 homes, with over 80 individual fires, in the towns of Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover, all within the Merrimack Valley, in Massachusetts, United States.

"[10] A Lawrence resident described finding his boiler on fire after his smoke alarm went off; as he was extinguishing it he heard a boom from a neighbor's house and the ground shook.

In Lawrence, Mayor Dan Rivera urged residents in the city to move north of the Merrimack River.

[19][20] The number of people evacuating by vehicle soon caused gridlock on streets that were already experiencing congestion by the afternoon rush hour commute.

[25] Governor Baker and Lawrence mayor Dan Rivera were later heavily critical of the response issued by Columbia Gas.

[26] On September 14, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency and appointed Eversource to evaluate and oversee the management of the gas distribution system in the affected area.

[30][31] On September 22, 2018, National Guard troops began delivering about 7,000 hot plates to customers to temporarily replace gas stoves for cooking.

Replacement of gas mains was proceeding ahead of schedule, but some older houses were unable to accommodate newer appliances and required more work to upgrade them to current standards.

[33] Multiple class action lawsuits were filed for negligence and destruction of property; these were eventually all settled by Columbia Gas for $143 million in July 2019.

[35] Columbia Gas was sentenced on June 23, 2020, and ordered to pay the $53 million fine as well as serve a three-year probation.