Emergency responders from multiple towns in and around Waldo County responded on Friday to a fire at the Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont.
The first was reported just after 10 a.m. and continued to burn into the afternoon.
Maine Medical Center is anticipating at least 10 people being transferred to its emergency department in Portland related to the Searsmont incident after being received at midcoast hospitals, a Maine Health spokesperson said on Friday afternoon.
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center received one patient from the incident who was in critical condition, a spokesperson said. That patient was transferred to another facility, and Northern Light did not anticipate receiving any additional patients.
Robbins Lumber co-owner Catherine Robbins-Halsted told reporters that “all employees are accounted for” but did not provide details and declined to answer questions about injuries. State public safety officials likewise offered few details.
Route 131, which passes by the mill entrance, was closed by police at the intersection of School Street and Ghent Road as a column of black smoke rose from the mill. By shortly after 2 p.m., the color of the smoke had shifted to white and brown as firefighters directed hoses at the fire from above using ladder trucks.
Ben Hamel, purchasing manager at the mill, said that the fire started in an area where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags. From there, the flames spread to a nearby silo that is filled with dust, which then exploded.
“It’s like a little rocket,” Hamel said of the silo.
Hamel did not confirm any injuries but said one LifeFlight helicopter had already arrived at the scene and another was on its way.
George Sprowl, a resident of Searsmont, was walking his dog in the center of town when he said the sky suddenly went black. “This is a terrible catastrophe for Searsmont,” he said.
According to a post on Gov. Janet Mills’ Facebook page, she has been “briefed on the situation unfolding in Searsmont.” Rep Jared Golden said he is aware of the fire and explosion and urged locals to follow instructions from law enforcement and look to official channels and trusted sources for information as it becomes available.
A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety said shortly after 1 p.m. that investigators from the state fire marshal’s office were on their way to the scene.
The Robbins Lumber mill dates to 1881 Frank and Otis Robbins first opened a small stave mill on the St. George River. In 1957, the then-diesel-powered mill burned to the ground, according to the company’s website.
In 2024 the mill had a fire in the control room of its dry kiln. No one was injured in that case, and the fire was contained to the kiln building.
BDN reporter Bridget Huber contributed reporting from the scene.