The Great Tewksbury Gas Explosion of 1972 might be the biggest disaster in town you’ve never heard of. On the night of February 9, 1972, Tewksbury’s firefighters were called to scene of a liquid propane gas explosion on Chapman Road the likes of which they’d never seen. The explosion was so large it shook the ground like an earthquake and the fireball was seen by pilots approaching Logan Airport.

Visit the library to watch a filmed series of interviews, conducted by Nancy Reed of the Tewksbury Historical Society, featuring some of the surviving firefighters that were there that night: Retired Captain Bob Fowler, Retired Lieutenant Ed Kearns and Retired Firefighter Jim Farley. Discover how this event influenced improvements in safety and firefighting to this day. Learn about the amazing scrapbook that was discovered and is now digitized and preserved for the town.

The video was produced by the Tewksbury Telemedia Department and this presentation is co-sponsored by the Tewksbury Historical Society and the Tewksbury Public Library.

Register below. Space is limited. 

ACCESSIBILITY NOTE: The Tewksbury Public Library does not discriminate on the basis of disability and is committed to providing a reasonable modification to participate in our events, services or documentation. Contact Director Diane Giarrusso at 978-640-4490 or dgiarrusso@tewksbury-ma.gov at least two weeks before an event to arrange for modification, or at any time you need accessible documents.