We’re fundraising to support the newsroom this spring. But on this page let’s take a break. Here are some efforts raising funds to support victims of the Searsmont fire. We hope you’ll consider a gift to support the families.
Robbins Lumber has resumed operations at its Searsmont yard weeks after a deadly blast and fire there.
The mill resumed full operations there on May 26 and is processing orders, Catherine Robbins-Halsted, a vice president at Robbins Lumber and president of the company’s East Baldwin facility, said in a Friday evening statement.
“We remain committed to providing the quality products and dependable service our customers have come to expect. We are fully operational, ready for your orders, and look forward to continuing to meet your Eastern White Pine needs,” she said.
Robbins Lumber built a temporary warehouse at its Searsmont facility to support shipping products. The company is using its Sanford location to also store product, while the East Baldwin facility ramped up production.
A fire broke out about 10:05 a.m. on May 15 at the Robbins Lumber campus off Route 131 in an area where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags. That blaze then spread to a silo filled with sawdust that exploded about 11 a.m. as firefighters stood nearby.
That prompted nearly two dozen fire departments to scramble to the scene as crews tried to contain the blaze and tended to the nearly dozen wounded.
The blast killed 27-year-old Morrill volunteer firefighter Andrew Cross, who was laid to rest on May 22. Several people, including owners Jim Robbins and Alden Robbins and family member Lily Robbins, remain hospitalized in the burn unit at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
“We remain hopeful and encouraged by their progress and look forward to welcoming them back when they are able,” Robbins-Halsted said in the statement.
A joint federal-state investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire and explosion. It was hampered in the days immediately after the blast because of high winds.
Last week, investigators said the silo exploded before the fire suppression system could be triggered. The blast lifted the silo off its concrete base. Investigators will return to the yard in the coming months.