Explosion at Maine lumber mill leaves at least 10 injured

U.S. Explosion at Maine lumber mill leaves at least 10 injured as firefighters battle intense blaze By Kierra Frazier Kierra Frazier News Editor Kierra Frazier is a news editor for CBS News & Stations. Read Full Bio Kierra Frazier May 15, 2026 / 6:07 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google A large fire and explosion Friday at a lumber mill in Maine injured at least 10 people, officials said. The blaze was still active as of late Friday afternoon.Firefighters responded to a fire and explosion at 10 a.m. at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, Maine, about 95 miles from Portland, Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of the state Department of Public Safety, said during a news conference.  Sauschuck said he could not provide the exact number of people injured, "or where they were working or who they were working for." A photo from the Thorndike Fire Department shows the fire at the Robbins Lumber mill in Maine. Thorndike Fire Department MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, which has a Level 1 trauma designation, said it was anticipating 10 patients to its emergency department. The Thorndike Fire Department said in a social media post that multiple firefighters and civilians were injured. The department also said multiple fire trucks were lost to fire.Officials said they do not know the cause of the fire at this time. This image made from video provided by Tiffany Mannarini shows a plume of smoke from a large fire at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, Maine, Friday, May 15, 2026.  Tiffany Mannarini via AP Catherine Robbins-Halsted, an owner at Robbins Lumber, said Friday that all of the company's employees were accounted for. Robbins Lumber, a family-owned business, opened in 1881 and now manages 30,000 acres of its own forests, according to the company. In 1957, the mill "burned to the ground" after a fire, but was rebuilt and added a new sawmill.  Maine Sen. Susan Collins said in a social media post that "the Robbins family is beloved in the Searsmont comm...