Firefighters were responding to flames tearing through Robbins Lumber in rural Searsmont, Maine, when a silo exploded, authorities said Friday, in the midcoast community about 95 miles from Portland. State officials said the firefighter who was part of the response was found dead at the mill.
Authorities said the fire spread through the facility as responders from the state and local area worked for hours to contain the blaze. Waldo County 911 director Mike Larrivee said crews had “dumped all of the resources from the whole county over to that area,” describing the scale of the emergency response.
Hospitals reported accepting patients from multiple local facilities. MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, which has a Level 1 trauma designation, said it was treating 10 patients transferred from local hospitals. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor said it was treating one patient in critical condition.
State officials said the investigation into what caused the explosion may not immediately produce answers. Maine fire marshal Shawn Esler said investigators were still assessing the circumstances surrounding the silo explosion amid the ongoing fire response.
Robbins Lumber’s website describes the company as a “high-tech lumber manufacturer” that has been in existence since 1881 and family-owned for five generations. Christian Halsted, a family spokesperson, said the fire was a “hugely devastating day for the family” and that the mill would not be operating in the near future, adding that the family was cooperating with authorities on the investigation.
The Maine Forest Products Council said lumber and wood products are a critical part of the state’s economy, contributing more than $8 billion in 2024 and providing about 29,000 jobs. Gov. Janet Mills said she was monitoring the response and urged people to keep away from the area and follow instructions from law enforcement, telling Maine residents to join her in keeping those affected in their thoughts.