Three years after a surge of natural gas pressure brought havoc to the communities of Massachusetts' Merrimac Valley, the family of a young man killed in the disaster plans to present an award to a local fire department.
On Sept. 13, 2018, a series of explosions and fires rocked Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. High school student Leonel Rondon was killed when part of a Lawrence home collapsed during an explosion and fell on the car that he was sitting in. He was just 18 years old.
In honor of Rondon's memory, his family will again present the Leonel Rondon Memorial Award and a donation to the Lawrence Fire Department on Monday. The money is to be used for fire and explosion prevention.
The presentation ceremony is scheduled to be held Monday afternoon at a law office in Boston.