LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - A state police helicopter crew using an infared camera to provide overwatch support to first responders assisting with a massive gas emergency in Lawrence Thursday night is being credited with pinpointing a major gas leak and preventing “another catastrophic event.”

Trooper Eric Fairchild, who was serving as Tactical Flight Officer on MSP Air 5 about 11 p.m., was monitoring the aircraft’s Foward Looking InfaRed camera who he noticed an anomaly under the pavement at the intersection of Broadway and Andover streets, according to state police.

The crew alerted the Lawrence Fire Department and firefighters soon found a “major gas leak under the pavement.”

“Through their attention to detail, the crew of MSP Air 5 likely prevented another catastrophic event,” state police wrote in a post. “The photos show the gas leak underground as detected by the Air Wing. The strange shape is the gas leak, seen in close up and from a wider angle.”

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