Firefighter Killed, Others Seriously Burned in Explosion at Searsmont, ME, Lumberyard
A firefighter was killed and others were seriously injured in an explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont on Friday.
The unidentified firefighter was found dead at the scene, Maine officials announced Friday night, adding that the body has been taken to the medical examiner's office in Augusta for an autopsy, News Center Maine reported.
Lumberyard workers tried to put the fire out when it started where wood shavings are bagged for sale -- connected to the storage silo.
The powerful blast shot the silo several feet into the air, and it came down on a warehouse building.
A firefighter immediately called for help saying multiple firefighters were injured and fire trucks were burning. He requested numerous ambulances and medevac helicopters.
An ambulance crew responding came upon a victim with second and third-degree burns.
Due to the number of patients, a mass casualty incident was declared, and hospitals were notified of the potential for many patients.
“It blew me 15 feet right through the air. Some guys dragged me out. The silo fell over onto the building that's burning right now. I was right underneath it,” Searsmont Fire Chief James Ames said.
The chief, who was covered in debris and ash, was not hurt. But shaken up.
Valerie Hannan, his daughter, the safety coordinator at the Robbins lumberyard, was keeping an eye on him after the explosion.
Ames' theory is that bearings in a gear box near where shavings were bagged up may have gotten too hot, igniting the blaze. "What happens is you get too much air in there and you get a backdraft."
The Maine Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the incident that involved a massive response from fire and EMS departments in the region as well as medevac helicopters.
One of those was Firefighter Katherine Paige, who suffered severe burns, and was transported to Maine Med, according to The Midcoast Villager
Some were burned so badly that they were unrecognizable. Some fire apparatus was destroyed or damaged.
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Susan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.