Eight of the 12 people who were injured in the May 15 fire and explosion at the Searsmont mill remain hospitalized.
Searsmont
Posted inMaine, News
This Dalmatian comforted firefighters in Searsmont
Halligan’s handler, Timothy Nickels, wants to support his fellow first responders in ways that he had needed when he was active.
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Posted inHealth, Maine, News
With traumatic injuries, time matters. Here’s where Maine’s system falls short.
The explosion in Searsmont showed how the state’s health care providers work together during a crisis. Some say they need help.
Posted inMaine, News
Investigators say machinery sparked Robbins Lumber fire, triggering blast in silo
They say suppression operations were unable to extinguish a smoldering fire that began near an unloader and it rapidly triggered particulate matter, causing the explosion that lifted a silo off its base.
Posted inMaine, News
Inside the Searsmont lumber mill fire and explosion
First responders and others recount the events at Robbins Lumber on May 15, a day that will have a lasting effect on Midcoast towns and the broader firefighting community.
Posted inCommunity, Maine, News
Honoring those who serve, spring sport and alewives focus of week in photos
Here are some of our favorite Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel photos from May 15-21, 2026.
Posted inMaine, News
Hundreds pay their respects to fallen Morrill firefighter Andrew Cross
First responders and civilians arrived in droves for a public visitation in Belfast to honor Cross, 27, who died in last week’s fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont.
Posted inCommunity, Maine, News
Searsmont and Robbins Lumber have been entwined for decades. Will tragedy bring them closer?
Nearly everyone in this small town knows someone who works at the sawmill. A deadly explosion there last week has emboldened the sense of community in an already tight-knit town.
Posted inMaine, News
Maine’s lumber mills, like the one in Searsmont, have known fire risks
The fire that led to an explosion at Robbins Lumber last week, killing a volunteer firefighter, remains under investigation.
Posted inCommunity, Maine, News
As investigation ramps up, memorial announced for firefighter killed in Searsmont explosion
Investigators provided few new details Tuesday about the incident that took the life of Andrew Cross, a volunteer at the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department, and injured a dozen more.