{"id":318198,"date":"2026-05-16T02:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/318198\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T02:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:08:18","slug":"firefighter-killed-10-hurt-in-explosion-at-lumber-mill-in-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/318198\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefighter killed, 10 hurt in explosion at lumber mill in Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEARSMONT, Maine (WGME) \u2014 A firefighter was killed and at least 10 others were hurt after an explosion and massive fire at a lumber fire in Maine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Firefighter killed, 10 hurt in explosion at lumber mill in Maine (WGME)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The firefighter, who died at the scene, was not immediately identified. The firefighter’s body was taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta, where an autopsy will be performed and positive identification confirmed.<\/p>\n

The explosion and fire happened on Friday around 10 a.m. at 506 Main Street South, which is Robbins Lumber Inc.<\/p>\n

A mass casualty response was underway. According to the World Health Organization, Mass Casualty incidents (MCIs) are characterized by a sudden surge in patients that overwhelms the capacity of local medical resources.<\/p>\n

The Thorndike Fire Department said multiple firefighters and civilians were injured. Officials said multiple fire trucks were destroyed due to the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cMultiple maydays have been called; multiple fire trucks have been lost to fire, and units from across the state are either responding or already on scene assisting with operations,\u201d the Thorndike Fire Department said.<\/p>\n

The Maine Department of Public Safety said they are not able to provide an exact number of people injured, but MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland said 10 patients were transferred to its emergency department who were injured in the explosion. They were initially treated at MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital.<\/p>\n

MaineGeneral in Augusta said it received one patient with burns who was treated and transferred to a higher level of care.<\/p>\n

The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.<\/p>\n

A co-owner of the Robbins Lumber Inc. said all mill employees were accounted for. She did not say if any of them were hurt. <\/p>\n

“All employees — the most important thing — I am so thankful for — are accounted for. Buildings can be replaced, employees cannot and the fire department has done a tremendous job, and I thank them for everything that they have done,\u201d said Catherine Robbins-Halsted, a co-owner of Robbins Lumber Inc.”Obviously, a hugely devastating day for the family. We feel for the first responders, the family, the employees. We ask that you respect the family at this point in time. The mill won’t be operating this week as we cooperate with all the investigating agencies that are here to help us figure out what has gone on,\u201d said Christian Halsted, a co-owner of Robbins Lumber Inc.<\/p>\n

Ben Hamel, the purchasing manager at the mill, told the Bangor Daily News that the fire started in an area where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags.<\/p>\n

From there, the flames spread to a nearby silo that is filled with dust, which then exploded, according to the BDN.<\/p>\n

The State Fire Marshal\u2019s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n

Maine lawmakers issued statements on the fire:<\/p>\n

“I have been briefed on the situation unfolding in Searsmont. 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,” Gov. Janet Mills said.”My heart is with the Searsmont community as officials respond to a reported mass casualty incident at Robbins Lumber. Details are still limited. Please follow updates from local authorities, avoid the area, and keep those impacted and the first responders in your thoughts,” Rep. Chellie Pingree said.”I\u2019m aware of the fire and explosion in Searsmont. As my team and I seek out more information, I am praying for the safety and well-being of first responders and everyone else on-site. I ask locals to follow law enforcement instructions, and to look to official channels and trusted sources for more information as it becomes available,” Rep. Jared Golden said.”I am monitoring the reports tracking the explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, and commend the brave first responders who are now on the scene helping workers and their families. I have visited this mill frequently and my heart goes out to Jim Robbins and his family, the workers, and the Searsmont community,” Sen. Angus King said.”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. 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,” Sen. Susan Collins said.The Robbins Lumber mill dates back to 1881. The then-diesel-powered mill burned down in 1957, according to the company\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

According to the BDN, the mill had a fire in the control room of its dry kiln in 2024. No one was injured in that case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEARSMONT, Maine (WGME) \u2014 A firefighter was killed and at least 10 others were hurt after an explosion…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":318199,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,153,152],"class_list":["post-318198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=318198"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/318198\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/318199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=318198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=318198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=318198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}