Overview
- The Searsmont assistant fire chief, Wayne Woodbury, died on June 14 from injuries he suffered responding to the May 15 Robbins Lumber blaze, raising the confirmed firefighter death toll to two.
- The May 15 fire at the family‑owned Robbins Lumber in Searsmont escalated when a silo exploded, killing Morrill volunteer firefighter Andrew Cross and injuring about a dozen firefighters, EMS members and mill workers.
- State investigators and the ATF have issued preliminary findings that a smoldering fire near the silo unloader allowed suspended particulate—large amounts of sawdust—to suddenly ignite, lifting the silo off its base and spreading flames, though the formal multiagency investigation is ongoing.
- Robbins Lumber has paused operations and the blast destroyed equipment at the complex, straining volunteer fire coverage in the region and prompting hospitalizations, local memorials, and statewide condolences.
- The case highlights the known explosion risk from combustible dust in lumber mills and could draw further regulatory scrutiny from agencies such as OSHA as investigators complete their on‑site work and debris searches.