Overview
- The blast at the Robbins Lumber mill on Friday, May 15, destroyed a silo, killed 27-year-old Morrill volunteer firefighter Andrew Cross, and injured about a dozen other people.
- Hundreds of people and dozens of firefighters attended a public visitation in Belfast and a funeral in Morrill, and the governor ordered flags lowered statewide in Cross’s honor.
- State investigators and the ATF are conducting a methodical on-site probe that includes hand-sifting debris and using cranes to lift silo remains as Robbins Lumber pauses operations and cooperates.
- At least several victims remain hospitalized in specialized burn units in Portland and Boston, and one responder was reported in a medically induced coma with severe burns.
- The loss has strained volunteer fire resources across the region, prompted donations to the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department, and highlighted the role of the family-run mill in the local economy.