A memorial for 27-year-old Andrew Cross drew dozens of fire and community members in Morrill as his remains were escorted from Augusta to a funeral home in Belfast after a huge fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont left at least 11 others injured.
MORRILL, Maine — The memorial of flowers for Andrew Cross sat outside the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department on Saturday, a day after a huge fire and explosion at a lumber mill in Maine’s midcoast region killed the 27-year-old firefighter and injured at least 11 others.
Cross was identified by officials Saturday as the firefighter who died in the blast and flames that tore through a silo at Robbins Lumber in a rural area of Searsmont.. His remains were escorted in a procession of dozens of firetrucks. police cars and other vehicles from Augusta to Belfast. routed through a small town of fewer than 1. 000 people as hundreds of first responders and residents gathered in Morrill to salute him and pay their respects.
Roughly two dozen fire departments responded to the massive flames, the state fire marshal’s office said. The procession traveled about 46 miles (74 kilometers) from Augusta to Belfast.
Cross joined the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department during the time Jethro Pease was fire chief, Pease recalled. “He was a good, bright young man,” Pease said. “He’d do anything for anybody.”
In Portland, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center said Saturday that eight of 10 patients brought to the hospital were still being treated.. Two patients had been transferred.. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor said it was treating one patient who was in critical condition. but that patient was transferred to another facility.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.. Robbins Lumber’s website describes the company as a “high-tech lumber manufacturer” that has been in existence since 1881 and family-owned for five generations.. The mill in Searsmont. about 95 miles (150 kilometers) from Portland. was cooperating with authorities on the investigation and “would cease operations at this time. ” family spokesperson Christian Halsted said.
Halsted described Friday as “a hugely devastating day for the family.”
Maine’s lumber and wood products industry is central to the state’s identity and economy. The Maine Forest Products Council said it contributed more than $8 billion to the state’s economy in 2024 and provides about 29,000 jobs.
The timeline the community is living through ties together the response and aftermath: roughly two dozen fire departments were mobilized to contain the flames at Robbins Lumber. then 11 or more people were hurt and routed to hospitals that were still treating eight of 10 cases Saturday. even as officials kept the cause of the fire under investigation and the mill said it would pause operations.
Maine news Morrill Volunteer Fire Department Andrew Cross Robbins Lumber Searsmont lumber mill explosion firefighters memorial first responders Maine Forest Products Council