LAWRENCE, Mass. — Emmanuel Peguero, 7, thought he had been walking for 80 miles on Saturday. And how many days would it be before he could return to his own home? One thousand, he predicted.
In reality, his trek was closer to one mile. It seemed much longer, though, because of the extraordinary circumstances in which his family — and thousands of others — suddenly found themselves.
On Thursday, a still-unexplained gas leak touched off scores of explosions and fires that ripped through three Boston suburbs. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes, many of which are still under quarantine and in areas where multiple new gas leaks were reported on Saturday.
This freak disaster and its chaotic aftermath have given rise to an unusual sight in modern-day America — a river of humanity, lugging only the belongings they can carry in overloaded wagons, roller bags, strollers, laundry hampers and black plastic garbage bags slung over their shoulders. They carried plants, dairy items, jugs of milk; one woman pulled a vacuum cleaner behind her.
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