Gas Company Offers Free Thanksgiving Dinner to Residents Affected by Massachusetts Gas Explosions

The gas company blamed for causing 30,000 people to evacuate their homes in Massachusetts will make sure everyone gets a holiday meal this Thanksgiving.

Columbia Gas announced that residents affected by the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in September could reserve their free Thanksgiving dinner on their website.

“You deserve to be in your home for Thanksgiving and we understand that our ongoing restoration work is preventing that. Columbia Gas is offering Thanksgiving meal options for you and your family and friends to show our appreciation for your continued patience,” the company said in a statement.

Residents of North Andover, Lawrence and Andover interested are welcome to pick up a meal to bring home or enjoy Thanksgiving with their community at a temporary trailer park some residents are currently living, according to WCVB.

Officials estimate more than 2,000 families or around 7,500 people are still displaced after the series of explosions and fires in September.

One person was killed, 12 were injured and 30,000 were forced to evacuate their residences when dozens of homes either caught fire or exploded.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) later determined pipes owned by Columbus Gas had been over-pressurized, and the company is now working hard to repair the pipes and have gas fully restored by mid-December.

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