Gemline Temporarily Closes Following Massachusetts Gas Explosions

Firefighters inspect a home after a gas explosion on September 13, 2018 in North Andover, Massachusetts. Gas explosions in three communities north of Boston have left multiple homes on fire. | Credit: Getty Images by Adam Glanzman

Gemline, Lawrence, Mass., announced that gas explosions in Lawrence as well as nearby Andover and North Andover have caused the company to temporarily shut down.

The supplier posted the following to its website:

On the evening of Thursday September 13th there were multiple explosions and fires in Lawrence, Andover, and North Andover Massachusetts. Authorities believe these might have been caused by over pressurized gas lines. Gemline evacuated our building last night and shut down operations.

State and local authorities have closed the area to businesses and residents, so, while our facility is undamaged, it is currently closed. Due to the situation, operations and shipping are closed, but Customer Service and Order Management teams are operating remotely.

At this time, we are unsure when we will be able to reopen the building and resume full operations. We hope it will be soon. We will provide an update upon receiving clearance from State and local authorities.

Your business is important to us. We will do all we can to ensure orders continue to ship on time. If an order you’ve placed with us is impacted in any way, we will contact you directly as soon as possible.

We thank you for your patience as we work through this unusual circumstance.

CBS News reported that the fire has killed one person and injured at least 25 more. Thirty-nine homes in the Boston suburbs suffered fire damage.

Emergency officials said the explosion was due to over-pressurized gas lines, but that theory hasn't been confirmed.