More Fires, Injuries Tied To Merrimack Valley Gas Explosions

ANDOVER, MA -- An 88-year-old Andover man who could not activate his medical alert because of the weekend power outage and a woman who was not found for hours after she fell are the latest injuries tied to Thursday's Merrimack Valley gas explosions. As a precaution, National Grid cut power to Andover, North Andover and Lawrence Thursday night to prevent further explosions. Both Andover residents are believed to have fallen as a result of the power outage.

Meanwhile, Andover Fire officials revised the total number of fires caused by the explosions. While the fire department responded to 37 fires -- including 18 simultaneously -- last Thursday afternoon and evening, that number was raised to 45 on Monday. The number increased as residents and business owners returned after being evacuated to find fire damage. Most of the damage was contained in the area of gas furnaces.

"The fact that these fires, at least nine of them, burned in the utility spaces and did not extend to the rest of the houses is a testament to keeping basements clean and clear of any storage or debris from around your furnace," Andover Fire Chief Michael B. Mansfield said.

Andover Fire officials responded to a medical alert at 8 am Saturday at the Railroad Avenue home of the 88-year-old man. He had fallen the previous night but could not activate his medical alert device until power was restored to his neighborhood. The man was transported to Lawrence General Hospital with serious face and head injuries. His condition was not available Tuesday morning.

The Andover woman who fell in her Shawsheen Street home was reported as the second fatality tied to the explosions on Monday, but police quickly retracted that report, saying they had been provided inaccurate information. The 55-year-old woman does, however, remain in critical condition at a Boston hospital

The woman's housemate, who had been away since Thursday, found her unresponsive in bed with a serious head injury when he returned on Sunday and called 911. The man had been trying to get in touch with her since Thursday. Police found a still-lit flashlight at the bottom of her basement stairs, suggesting she had fallen in the dark at some point over the weekend.

The woman was transported to Lawrence General Hospital and later taken by helicopter to the Boston Hospital.

In addition to those two injuries, Andover Fire personnel treated 20 people for injuries as they responded to the fires Thursday night. Of those, 14 were taken to hospitals. All 20 are expected to recover.

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Photo by Mike Carraggi/Patch.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).