Gas cut off over pressure issue not far from explosion area

WOBURN, Mass. – A utility company shut off gas to about 300 customers in Massachusetts after a worker doing routine maintenance inadvertently overpressurized the system.

National Grid says the situation Monday afternoon in Woburn was quickly corrected, no evacuations were ordered, and there were no reports of injuries or property damage.

A spokeswoman says the company hoped to have gas restored to all affected customers later Monday.

Overpressurization is thought to have been the cause of natural gas fires and explosions in an area about 20 miles away last month that killed one and injured about 25. That area is serviced by a different utility, Columbia Gas.

Columbia Gas says it has replaced about one-third of the pipelines it plans to replace in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover.