A fire and explosion at a lumber mill in Searsmont, Maine, injured at least 11 people on Friday and prompted officials to declare a “mass casualty event,” according to Waldo County authorities. Emergency responders from across the region were dispatched as the scale of the incident exceeded local resources, officials said.
The blast occurred at Robbins Lumber, about 95 miles from Portland, and its cause remains under investigation. Maine State Police and fire marshal investigators responded, while 911 Director Mike Larrivee said officials had committed extensive resources to the scene. Governor Janet Mills urged residents to avoid the area as crews continued emergency operations.
Public officials, including Maine Governor Janet Mills, said they are monitoring the response to the blaze.
Mills wrote on X: “I urge folks to stay clear of the area, follow the instructions of law enforcement, and allow emergency personnel to respond. I ask Maine people to join me in keeping all those affected in their thoughts.”
Newsweek reached out to Robbins Lumber – East Baldwin and the Maine State Police by email on Friday afternoon for comment.
An Explosion and Fire at a Searsmont Lumber Mill Injures 5
Authorities said they are investigating the cause of the blast and expect the probe into the silo explosion to be lengthy and time-intensive.
“We have not even really begun a scene examination, so we do not have a cause, and may not have one for some time. We have a tremendous amount of work to do,” Maine fire marshal Shawn Esler said.
MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, a Level I trauma center, was awaiting the transfer of 10 patients who had initially been treated at local hospitals, a spokesperson said. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor was treating one patient in critical condition, according to a hospital spokesperson.
None of those injured were mill employees, and all employees have been accounted for, according to Catherine Robbins-Halsted, co-owner and vice president admin of the company.
One person was taken to the hospital with burn injuries. No deaths have yet been reported.
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine wrote on X that the Robbins family is “beloved in the Searsmont community, and Robbins Lumber is a piece of Maine history.”
“I have known the family for many years,” she wrote. “My heart goes out to them, their employees, and the first responders who have come from all over the region to help in the emergency response. This is a very sad crisis, and all those affected are in my prayers.”
What to Know About Family-Owned Business, Robbins Lumber
Today, the Robbins Lumber company claims to own and manage around 30,000 acres of forest and buys logs from over 150 independent loggers.
Brothers Otis and Frank Robbins opened their first lumber mill in 1881 on the St. George River. Diesel power allowed the business to operate year-round, starting in 1947, rather than shutting down during the summer when river flow diminished.
The original mill burned down in 1957, and the family rebuilt and added a new mill. They also started planting Christmas trees, with the first harvest in 1968.
The Robbins family relocated the mill to Searsmont, where it has remained.
Over the following decades, the family worked to make the mill even more self-sustaining, adding an industrial wood waste-burning boiler that provided 25 percent of their mills’ power, later growing to over 50 percent with further additions in 2002, such as kiln vent exchanges, variable speed drives, computers, log scanning, and water recycling.
“Robbins Lumber takes pride in its safety record, employee tenure and employee benefits. We are here to help you serve your customers,” the company wrote on its website, where they describe themselves as “a cut above the rest.”
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