Tewksbury Firefighters To Mark 50th Anniversary Of Gas Explosion

TEWKSBURY, MA — Current and former Tewksbury firefighters will mark the 50th anniversary Wednesday of the deadly Lowell Gas Co. explosion that killed three people and injured over 20.

The 1972 explosion was caused by a gas delivery truck backing up into a liquified propane tank. Firefighters rushed to the scene to battle the resulting fire and many were injured when the tanker eventually blew.

According to contemporaneous reports, the explosion was visible from planes landing at Logan Airport 50 miles away and audible from as much as 12 miles away.

Tewksbury Call Firefighter William John McAllister and Billerica Fire Captain Donald Schultz both died soon after the explosion, as did the truck driver, Arthur Sutcliffe of Lowell. Tewksbury Fire Captain Frederick Millet died later from complications from the fire.

Firefighters from Tewksbury and Billerica plan to hold a memorial service at the Tewksbury Central Station at 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to retired firefighter Ed Kearns, the father of Fire Chief Joseph Kearns.

Ed Kearns was in his second year with the department when the explosion occurred and credits Chief William Chandler with saving his life that night by putting him on desk duty.

"I wanted to get in there and be a firefighter," Kearns said. "I didn't want to be assigned anything other than going to the fire."

But when the call went out and Kearns went into the Central Fire Station, Chandler told Kerans to work dispatch, as his gear was at the South Station. Chandler — who was also without fire gear — went in his stead.

"I credited him with my life," Kearns said. "No doubt in my mind."

Just before the truck exploded, near 11 p.m., Chandler told the crews on scene to evacuate. Roughly two-thirds of the department was injured, in addition to the two members who lost their lives.

The department was devastated in both equipment and members, Kearns said. Only one fire engine remained usable and the guys that were not injured had to work 72-hour shifts, Kearns said. The chief and deputy chief were both badly injured. Nearby departments, like Andover, Lowell and Wilmington, had to cover fires in Tewksbury.

"I almost quit," Kearns said. "It was such a shock to me. and as sparky as I was, I said to myself, is this the job I want to do?"

But Kearns and the department made it through. In 30 more years as a firefighter, he never again experienced anything as scary, he said, even when he went to Ground Zero to search for bodies after 9/11.

"That was scary, but it wasn't as scary as knowing what happened here in Tewksbury," Kearns said. "It reminded me of the fact, we're in a job where you never know, one day or the next if you're going to go home or not."

Kearns had plans for a big memorial which were put on hold due to the coronavirus, he said, but he wanted to make sure residents remember what happened.

"I don't want it to be forgotten," Kearns said.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.

An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of one of the firefighters who died following the explosion. It has been corrected.