Maine lumber mill explosion injures at least 11 as firefighters respond to roaring blaze

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A large fire and explosion at a lumber mill in Maine’s midcoast region injured at least 11 people Friday.Flames tore through Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, a town of about 1,500 people about 95 miles (153 kilometers) from Portland, authorities said. “There’s been a huge explosion. The silo just exploded. Multiple firefighters injured,” a first responder said, according to scanner traffic from Kennebec, Somerset and Waldo County fire departments recorded by Broadcastify.com.MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, which has a Level 1 trauma designation, was waiting for 10 patients who had been treated at local hospitals to be transferred, a spokesperson said. Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center was treating one patient who was in critical condition, a spokesperson for the Bangor hospital said.Authorities said they are investigating the cause of the blast.

“We have dumped all of the resources from the whole county over to that area,” Waldo County 911 director Mike Larrivee said.Maine State Police and fire marshals responded to the fire, state police spokesperson Shannon Moss said.

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