All employees of family-owned Robbins Lumber were accounted for after the “hugely devastating” fire, a spokesperson said.
SEARSMONT, Maine — A firefighter was killed in an explosion Friday at a lumber mill in Maine’s midcoast region, and at least 10 other people were being treated at hospitals, including at least one person in critical condition.
Many area fire departments responded to the Robbins Lumber facility around 10 a.m. Friday after the Searsmont Fire Department was dispatched to a fire near a silo at the mill. 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. The firefighter’s body was being taken to the medical examiner’s office in Augusta for an autopsy and to confirm their identity.
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. All employees at the mill were accounted for, said Catherine Robbins-Halstead, a co-owner and vice president of admin at Robbins Lumber.
“Buildings can be replaced, people cannot,” Robbins-Halsted told reporters.
Christian Halsted, a family spokesperson, said the fire had been a “hugely devastating day for the family” and the mill will not be operating in the near future. The family was cooperating with authorities on the investigation, he said.
Officials have not yet said the exact number of people injured or the severity of those injuries.
MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, which has a Level 1 trauma designation, said it was treating 10 patients who had been transferred from local hospitals. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor was treating one patient who was in critical condition, a spokesperson said.
Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the blast and expected a long and time-consuming investigation into what caused the silo explosion.
“We have not even really begun a scene examination, so we do not have a cause, and may not have one for some time,” said Maine fire marshal Shawn Esler. “We have a tremendous amount of work to do.”
Lumber and wood products are a critical and historic industry in Maine. The Maine Forest Products Council said the industry contributed more than $8 billion to the state’s economy in 2024 and provides about 29,000 jobs.
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