At 4:30 PM on Wednesday night, Newton resident Nathan Phillips — who has been raising the alarm over what he considers an unsafe degree of leaks from National Grid gas piping in the area — measured an explosive level of methane (6%) in an Eversource electrical manhole on Homer Street between City Hall and the Eversource High Voltage substation.
Concerned by the explosive level and its proximity to high-voltage electrical equipment, Phillips called 911, and Newton Fire and National Grid responded immediately. The National Grid technician measured a methane level of 45%, and the site was declared a hazardous Grade 1 leak, and a repair crew was immediately dispatched. As of 7:30 PM, the crew was preparing to excavate the site to repair the leak.
The substation at 374 Homer Street was the site of a June 20, 2022 explosion and fire that injured an Eversource worker and knocked out power to 2500 homes.
Separately a major natural gas leak erupted from a high-pressure, 6-inch line at The Street in Chestnut Hill at 2 PM on Monday, at the demolition site of the old theatre. Witnesses reported an audible roar from the leak.
Ed. Note: In an earlier version of this article, the caption in the last photo incorrectly identified the crew as being from Eversource rather than National Grid.
