Jacob Spaulding walked out of Maine Medical Center in Portland on Monday exactly a month after he was admitted. A row of firefighters clapped as he got into the passenger side of a black Ford Bronco. It looked like a family vehicle, rather than an official one, and on the left side of the car was a large sticker of a butterfly — a common symbol for hope and new beginnings.

The car drove away escorted by Maine State Police cruisers, Forest Ranger pickups and fire trucks. As Spaulding rested his hand on the door frame it was covered in a medical glove and his face showed red scars, evidence of injuries he sustained in Searsmont on May 15. 

Spaulding, a Montville firefighter, was one of approximately 100 first responders who fought a fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber mill. One of them, 27-year-old Andrew Cross of Morrill, died at the scene.

For a month, eight others had quietly remained hospitalized. Some family members posted small updates on social media about their surgeries or other milestones, but otherwise they have stayed out of the spotlight.

Then on Sunday, the Office of the State Fire Marshal announced that Searsmont Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury, 76, died from his injuries, and later that night, Liberty Fire & Rescue said that Spaulding would be coming home.

On Monday, Woodbury’s body was transferred from the state medical examiner’s office to a funeral home in Belfast, just as Spaulding was returning to Montville to continue his recovery.

The turns in the fates of the two men gave their communities a chance to be together and show their support again, and highlighted how the long-term effects of the disaster at Robbins Lumber continue to play out.

Maine Med would not confirm how many people remain there from the fire, but previous information indicates that three are still in the Portland hospital, while three members of the Robbins family are still at Massachusetts General hospital.

Woodbury’s death put their recovery efforts in a new light.

Dan Miller was part of a group in Searsmont on Monday evening to be part of Woodbury’s dignified transfer as it passed through the town. He said it’s heartbreaking to see Woodbury’s friends, family and fellow firefighters struggling, and it’s shaken them to see something go so wrong. He’s not sure exactly how it helps to gather as a community, but he knows it does.

Meanwhile in Montville, Spaulding, who also started volunteering when he was just a teenager, said Monday that he doesn’t see himself as a hero.

“I’m just a regular guy,” he said, surrounded by friends, family and strangers, many sporting “Spaulding Strong” T-shirts. “I make the choice to take the call that no one else wants to take.”

JOURNEY TO RELEASE

Montville was among the first agencies to arrive at the lumber mill in May. When the silo exploded and shot into the air, debris rained down on Spaulding, according to a report provided by the town.

His girlfriend, Natalie Brown, was at the mill and started driving him to a local hospital. He was transferred to the burn center in Portland later that day.

He was put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit. His family wrote on a GoFundMe page that he had pneumonia, and the burns meant he couldn’t open his eyes for more than a week. He’s undergone skin grafts on his face and hands.

Then, almost three weeks ago, his dad wrote that Jacob was awake, joking with nurses and asking questions. On June 5, though, an update on the fundraiser said that Jacob was “tired of being in pain.”

The support from around 60 firefighters and community members who welcomed him home Monday was unbelievable, he said. He saw people he’d never met standing alongside his family, and he made his way down a procession of huggers. 

His dad, Henry Spaulding, said his son was OK for most of the ride back home from Portland, but when Jacob saw the reception, he got emotional.

“You’re a hero, bud,” Spaulding’s dad told him. “What you’ve gone through in the last 30 days — you’re a hero. People recognize that.”

Among the welcomers was Wendy Johnson, a fellow Montville firefighter who was away on the day of the fire and explosion.

“I’m just so happy for him, and that he’s in one piece, and he’s coming home,” she said.

She hopes the incident inspires more people to volunteer with the fire department.

Spaulding said now that he’s home, he wants to relax but he plans to return to firefighting, where Johnson said he is “lovely, hardworking” and always arrives first.

Gretchen Anderson Fish was among those lining the road for Spaulding’s return. She lives in Morrill and her husband is a firefighter who responded to the explosion at Robbins Lumber. Fish said a month later her husband is “forging ahead,” and her young kids talk about the explosion a lot. It’s shaken up their world, but they’re learning about first responders from it, she said.

“It’s a new level of respect,“ Fish said. “You’re like, ‘Whoa, these people are really heroes.’ You forget that when they’re just moving a tree out of the road.” 

She said the Searsmont explosion has reached and affected everyone in her community, and “It’s emotional, but you can’t really do much.”

She added, “It’s one of the most difficult things to experience.”

UPDATES ON OTHERS WHO WERE INJURED

Another first responder injured at Searsmont thought she might get released from the hospital this week but has experienced a setback, her husband said on Facebook. Katherine Paige is a firefighter in Belmont, another of the first agencies on the scene at Robbins Lumber.

In frequent, short updates online, Paul Paige has shared that his wife was moved out of the intensive care unit and has been happy to see friends visit at the hospital. He also wrote that she’s had skin grafts, the most recent of which is not working as intended, he wrote. She has had multiple fingers amputated, as well. He did not respond to a request for an interview.

The town of Belmont has been preparing to host a benefit dinner and silent auction for Paige and Woodbury on June 28. Organizers have received donations of quilts, gift cards and baskets, though they did not immediately respond to a question on Monday about how Woodbury’s death would affect plans for the fundraiser.

Families and friends of two other first responders believed to still be at MaineMed, Sarah Tompkins and Thomas Wolf, have shared less information about what their loved ones have been going through. 

In an Instagram post two weeks ago, Tompkins’ husband said that she was off a ventilator and breathing on her own. She’s a paramedic and chief of Searsmont Rescue who also runs Fine Line Farm with her husband. Over $270,000 has been raised via GoFundMe for what her family expects will be months of hospitalization, including specialized treatment and rehabilitation.

Wolf is a volunteer for Searsmont Fire and works at the lumber mill. A fundraiser organized by his close friend who shares a house with Wolf’s family said Wolf’s wife is taking significant time away from work to help in his recovery, and has raised just over $5,000. The fundraiser has not provided any further updates on Wolf’s condition, and spokespeople for the state police and MaineMed declined to comment on the statuses of the injured.

Three members of the Robbins family remain in treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital. On Friday, a spokesperson said that one of the family members had been upgraded to serious condition, while the other two remained critical. They were the only people injured in the fire who are known to have been transferred out of state for care. 

While news on their condition remains limited, there have been occasional business updates on the sawmill’s website. They’ve asked that contributions be directed to local fire departments or to the Shriners in honor of the firefighters and families impacted by the incident. 

Lily Robbins, who’s also an EMT and recent college graduate, works at Camden’s Mosaic restaurant, which shared its own fundraiser for her. Next week, Mosaic and other local restaurants will have a special cocktail dedicated to Lily and plan to donate funds to the fundraiser. They’re also planning a silent auction from Aug. 10-16. 

WOODBURY’S DIGNIFIED TRANSFER

In Searsmont on Monday evening, residents of all ages lined both sides of the street wearing fire department T-shirts and other red, white and blue clothing. They watched a procession of police and fire vehicles along with the hearse carrying Woodbury’s body. One fire truck honked its horn; otherwise, it was silent.

“It feels like a huge tragedy for such a small place,” said Ryan Boyce. “It’s on the tip of everybody’s tongue and mind all the time.”

He said everybody in town knew Woodbury and he had a massive role in the community. In the wake of Woodbury’s death, Boyce encouraged Mainers to check in with their local fire departments and consider how they can help.

When Woodbury was taken from Maine Med after his death on Sunday, Spaulding stood in the hallway and saluted him.

“I felt like it was the right thing to do,” Spaulding said. “He would have done the same.”