BOSTON (AP) – Officials say a utility company will pay $53 million for breaking pipeline safety laws and causing a series of natural gas explosions that killed one person and damaged dozens of homes. Authorities said Wednesday that Columbia Gas of Massachusetts has agreed to plead guilty to violating the Pipeline Safety Act and will pay the largest criminal fine ever imposed under the law. The explosions rocked three communities in the Merrimack Valley, north of Boston, in September 2018. The company said in an emailed statement that it takes full responsibility for the disaster. (Photo: CNN)