A spokesman said all employees at family-owned business Robbins Lumber were accounted for following the “extremely destructive” fire.
SEARSMONT, Maine — An explosion at a lumber mill on Maine’s midcoast killed a firefighter and left at least 10 people in the hospital, at least one of whom was in critical condition, on Friday.
Many area fire departments responded to the Robins Lumber Mill after the Searsmont Fire Department was dispatched to a fire near a silo at around 10 a.m. Friday. Searsmont is a town of about 1,500 people about 95 miles from Portland.
The firefighter was found dead at the scene of the fire, according to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss.
Robbins Lumber’s website describes the company as a “high-tech lumber manufacturer” that has been family-run for five generations since its founding in 1881. Catherine Robbins-Halstead, co-owner and executive vice president of Robbins Lumber Co., said all employees at the plant have been accounted for.
“Buildings can be replaced, but people can’t,” Robbins-Halstead told reporters.
Family spokesman Christian Halsted said the fire was “a devastating day for the family” and the factory would not be operating in the near future. He said the family was cooperating with authorities in the investigation.
Officials have not revealed the exact number of injured or the severity of their injuries.
MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, which has Level 1 trauma designation, said it was treating 10 patients transferred from local hospitals. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor is treating a patient in critical condition, a spokesman said.
Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the explosion and expected a long and time-consuming investigation into the cause of the silo explosion.
“We haven’t even really started field inspections yet, so we don’t have any justification and probably won’t have one for a while,” said Maine Fire Capt. Shawn Esler. “We have a lot of work to do.”
Lumber and wood products are important and historic industries in Maine. The Maine Forest Products Council says the industry will contribute more than $8 billion to the state’s economy by 2024 and support approximately 29,000 jobs.
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