Portland, Maine — the The fire and subsequent explosion An accident at a lumber mill in Maine that killed a firefighter and injured dozens of others was accidental and originated at the base of a silo, authorities said Tuesday.
The May 15 fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont left a fatality Andrew Cross27, of the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department. Among those injured were members of the family that ran the lumber mill and other emergency responders. The fire sent columns of black smoke rising into the sky, and it took hundreds of firefighters from dozens of departments to extinguish it.
The rapid ignition of particulate matter led to an explosion in the silo, causing it to be lifted from its concrete base and releasing large amounts of sawdust and other materials, the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office said in a statement Tuesday. The silo then overturned and the surrounding area caught fire, the office said.
The fire marshal’s office said investigators will return to the facility in the coming months to conduct a more detailed examination.
“Investigators also determined that the facility’s fire suppression system, which was located near the top of the silo, was not activated because temperatures at that elevation did not reach the activation threshold after the fire originated at the base of the silo,” the office statement said.
Lumber mills are major sources of combustible dust. High winds during the investigation delayed the investigation’s results, Maj. Aaron Turcotte, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said last week.
“High winds throughout the day created difficult working conditions at the scene, resulting in flying debris and periodic interruptions to investigative operations. Drone operations and aerial photography were particularly difficult due to the winds, causing delays in some site documentation,” Turcotte said in a statement.
The explosion in Searsmont, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northeast of Portland, sparked a massive response from emergency responders in the rural part of the state. Investigators from state fire police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took over the investigation following the explosion and fire that took hours to contain.
Gov. Janet Mills later ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff last week in Cross’s honor.
“My heart goes out to Andrew Cross’s family, friends and colleagues,” Mills said. “He died a hero.”
The Robbins Lumber website describes the company as a “high-tech lumber manufacturer” that has been around since 1881 and family-owned for five generations. Christian Halstead, a family spokesman, said after the fire that it was a “very devastating day for the family” and that the family was cooperating with the investigation.
Lumber and wood products are an important and historic industry in Maine. The Maine Forest Products Council said it contributed more than $8 billion to the state’s economy in 2024 and provides about 29,000 jobs.