Federal report: Lumber mill didn’t warn firefighters who inadvertently fueled deadly explosion
Fatal Blaze at Searsmont Lumber Mill: Federal Report Finds Firefighting Response Triggered Deadly Explosion
A recent federal investigation has concluded that the emergency response to a fire at a Searsmont lumber company on May 15 inadvertently triggered a catastrophic explosion that killed three people and severely injured several others. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) determined that the owners of Robbins Lumber failed to adequately plan for the dangers of dust within the facility's silo and neglected to warn responding firefighters about the specific risks of using water.
The initial fire ignited accidentally at the base of a silo filled with wood shavings and sawdust. Employees sprayed water into a room beneath the silo before calling 911, and six fire agencies arrived on the scene. Within 40 minutes, the fire appeared contained. However, the situation drastically changed due to the silo's design. While previous silo fires at Robbins Lumber over the past two decades had vented at the top, this particular silo was "oxygen-limiting." In such containers, introducing water does not extinguish the fire; instead, it acts as fuel for combustible dust, resulting in a massive blast that launched the silo and a towering plume of fire into the air.
Investigators found that the combustible dust hazard was entirely unknown to Robbins Lumber employees, meaning responding firefighters received no notification of the danger at any point during the incident. Although the facility had hosted walk-throughs for local fire departments in the past, there was no site-specific pre-incident plan. Furthermore, the company failed to post labels warning that water would cause an explosion in the sealed silo. The NIOSH report noted that the silo did contain signs forbidding entry into the confined space, but lacked the critical warnings needed to guide rescuers making split-second decisions.
The chaos of the explosion was harrowing, according to the report, which noted, "Many of the firefighters assisting others were critically injured themselves but attempted to provide assistance amidst the chaos." Command on the ground was also flawed; facility owners and employees stood near the silo answering questions from individual firefighters but were not integrated into a unified command structure. Additionally, employees inadvertently directed water toward a plexiglass panel at the base of the silo, directly contradicting the manufacturer's emergency procedures, which explicitly state, "DANGER: Do not fight fire by adding water or foam to the structure."
The tragedy has deeply impacted the firefighting community and the Robbins family. Morrill firefighter Andrew Cross died at the scene from heat-related injuries and smoke inhalation. Searsmont Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury passed away at the hospital four weeks later from burn injuries, and company co-owner Alden Robbins also died in July. Searsmont EMS Chief Sarah Tompkins and other members of the Robbins family remain hospitalized at Massachusetts General Hospital, where one patient is in critical condition and another is in fair condition. Other first responders, including Jacob Spaulding and Katherine Paige, have been released but are facing lengthy recoveries. The report also highlighted that accountability for personnel was insufficient, noting that Cross was discovered missing two hours after the blast.
In response to the findings, Robbins Lumber released a statement expressing that the report cannot "lessen the tremendous loss suffered by so many." The company affirmed its commitment to reviewing the findings and working collaboratively with fire services and safety professionals to improve safety. "We are working closely with recognized industry experts as we are rebuilding our facilities," the statement added.
The NIOSH report is expected to be the first of several reviews and calls for significant policy changes. Currently, law does not require containers like silos to carry labels warning about combustible dust, a known danger for decades. Investigators are advocating for new rules that would require bold signage—such as "DANGER – Sealed Silo – Water Contributes to Explosion"—on facilities including silos, bins, tanks, and hoppers. The agency noted that since 1980, over 200 combustible dust incidents at industrial facilities have resulted in deaths and injuries. For oxygen-limiting silos, the best practice is to allow the fire to smother itself by keeping all hatches sealed for several weeks.
