A cavalcade of first responders will escort Jay resident Larry Lord from the Maine border to his home Friday morning, where he will continue to recuperate from the September explosion at LEAP Inc. that killed a firefighter and injured several others.
Lord, who was a maintenance supervisor at the Farmington-based nonprofit, has been credited with getting several employees out of the building before a propane leak caused by a severed gas line caused the building to explode. The incident killed Farmington Fire Capt. Michael Bell and injured several other firefighters.
Lord is scheduled to be released from the Boston rehabilitation hospital where he has been a patient since February on Friday morning. Before that, Lord struggled for months at Massachusetts General Hospital to recover from his injuries sustained during the blast. He is expected to continue recovering at home.
Lord is expected to reach the Maine border by noon, where he will be escorted by the Maine State Police honor guard. The procession is expected to reach Augusta by 2 p.m., where members of the Jay police and Farmington fire departments will escort him along Route 27 North and Route 2 to reach Farmington.
The route will then follow High Street, Broadway and Main Street in Farmington until it reaches Wilton. From there, the guard will follow Route 4 through Jay and Route 133 until it reaches Lord’s residence. He’s expected to be home around 3:30 p.m.
Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland urged spectators to be mindful of social distancing to avoid spreading the new coronavirus. He said those who choose to watch the procession from outside their vehicles should keep at least six feet apart.
McCausland said the times are an estimate and may change depending on the weather.