Explosion at Maine lumber mill injures 11, kills firefighter

A silo fire at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont turned into a deadly industrial disaster Friday, killing one firefighter and injuring at least 11 people as flames spread through multiple buildings at the 40-acre lumber site.

The first emergency call came at about 10:05 a.m., and officials said the explosion happened while firefighters were working to suppress the blaze. Maine fire officials said the scene was still too unstable for a full examination, and Shawn Esler said the cause could take considerable time to determine. Investigators from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office, Maine State Police, ATF, OSHA and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection were involved as crews remained on scene.

The blast put immediate strain on a rural response network in a town of about 1,500 people, roughly 95 miles from Portland. Maine Medical Center in Portland said it was expecting at least 10 patients from the incident, while Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor treated one patient in critical condition. Emergency responders expected to stay at the mill for days as they worked to contain the damage and sort out what happened inside the silo area.

The fatality underscored the risks faced by firefighters and mill workers alike in older industrial facilities that remain central to local economies. Robbins Lumber says it has been family-owned since 1881 and is now run by the fifth generation of the Robbins family. Its company history says Frank and Otis Robbins opened a small stave mill on the St. George River, the business burned in 1957 and was rebuilt, and the operation moved to its current Searsmont site in 1969.

Searsmont’s own historical records trace the town’s economy to white pine timber and water-powered mills dating to the late 1700s, a reminder that lumbering has long shaped the Maine Midcoast. That history now sits alongside the reality of aging plant infrastructure, the danger of silo fires and the limited margin for error when small-town fire departments confront a large industrial emergency.

Robbins Lumber said it would not operate for the rest of the week, at least. The broader forest products sector remains a major pillar of the state economy, with the Maine Forest Products Council saying it contributed more than $8 billion in 2024 and supported about 29,000 jobs. Gov. Janet Mills said she had been briefed on the fire and urged people to stay clear of the area and follow law-enforcement instructions, as the focus shifted from rescue to accountability and investigation.