LAWRENCE (WBZ-AM) -- A U.S. Senate committee is holding a hearing in Lawrence to look at the response to the September gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley that left one dead, more than 100 homes and businesses damaged, and many evacuated from their homes.
For Sen. Ed Markey, it's personal.
"I'm going back up to right where my father grew up," Markey told WBZ-TV. "I want to make sure that all of those people are made whole. This is personal for me. I don't want these people to have to suffer unnecessarily."
The family of Leonel Rondon, who was killed in the disaster, spoke at the hearing.
Markey and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology want to know what caused the September 13 explosions. The hearing, held in the South Lawrence East Middle School Gymnasium, will feature testimony from Columbia Gas officials, the NTSB, and first responders like Andover Fire Chief Mike Mansfield.
"Hopefully they have their listening ears on, and we can get some changes in the industry to make it much safer for the communities that have natural gas infrastructure in them," Mansfield told WBZ-TV.