How a fire at a Maine lumber mill went from bad to much worse

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • May 22, 2025

The firefight on May 15 at Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont went from bad to worse when a five-story silo suddenly exploded, shooting up in the air before crashing down into a warehouse filled with some 5 million board feet of lumber, ready for delivery. A 27-year-old volunteer firefighter was found dead at the scene and 12 others were wounded, some seriously enough to be evacuated to burn units in Boston. Three members of the Robbins family, who have owned the mill for generations and are often upheld as model local business owners, were among those injured. Some people were burned so severely that they could not be immediately recognized. At least three firetrucks were destroyed. And one of Waldo County’s biggest employers and economic engines was taken offline indefinitely.