Gas Line Sparks 32 Fires in Ohio Town
A malfunctioning pressure regulator sent natural gas surging through pipelines in this eastern Ohio community Thursday, sparking blazes in 32 homes and businesses and causing at least $1 million in damage, officials said.
The fires were all put out within hours and nobody was seriously hurt, although a firefighter was treated for minor injuries, George Brown of the Trumbull County Firemen’s Assn. said.
A tavern and nine of the homes were extensively damaged, said Fire Chief Dan Nagy, who provided the damage estimate.
Brown, whose organization is a grouping of Trumbull County fire departments, said more than 100 homes and businesses were evacuated as officials told those near the fires to leave. A shelter was established in a church.
McDonald Mayor Bob Zajack imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the community of 3,000 people northeast of Youngstown, near the Pennsylvania border.
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