Searsmont, ME, Assistant Fire Chief Dies Month after Deadly Lumber Mill Explosion
The assistant fire chief of a Maine town died Sunday morning, a month after he was injured while responding to a massive fire at a lumber mill, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Searsmont Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury, 76, was among the 12 people injured on May 15 in a fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber. He died on June 14 at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Andrew Cross — a 27-year-old Morrill, Maine, firefighter — died while battling the fire at the family-owned mill in Searsmont. Six other first responders, including Searsmont Fire Chief James Ames, were injured in the fire.
Robbins Lumber owners Alden and Jim Robbins, their relative, Lily Robbins, and two mill workers were also injured in the fire. As of May 29, the three Robbins family members were still being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to a message posted to the company’s website.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have determined that the fire began in a silo at the mill. Robbins Lumber has fully cooperated with authorities throughout the investigation, officials said.
No further updates on the victims or the investigation into the fire were available Sunday afternoon.
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