We’re fundraising to support the newsroom this spring. But on this page let’s take a break. Here are some efforts raising funds to support victims of the Searsmont fire. We hope you’ll consider a gift to support the families.
A farmer, a proud member of a firefighting family, and recent University of Maine graduate — all are among several first responders who remain hospitalized this week after being seriously injured in a May 15 fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber in Searsmont.
They are three of eight people — out of a total of a dozen who were injured — who continue to get hospital medical care in Portland and Boston. Four of the injured have been treated and released. One firefighter, 27-year-old Andrew Cross of Morrill, was killed by an explosion that ripped across the lumber mill when a silo blew up.
The broader Waldo County community is rallying around them as they and their families try to recover from one of the worst disasters in midcoast Maine in recent memory.
The town of Searsmont has set up a fund for people affected by the fire, and the town of Morrill is also accepting donations for the family of Cross and the fire department. Hammond Lumber donated $100,000 to affected people, and Gov. Janet Mills issued an order that flags be flown at half mast on Friday, May 22, in honor of Cross on the day of his funeral.
Liliane Robbins, a member of Searsmont’s Rescue crew, is being treated for burns at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maine earlier this month with a degree from the College of Earth, Life and Health Services, according to UMaine’s commencement program, which is posted online.
At UMaine, she was a member of the University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, a team of student first responders that provide emergency care on campus. In October, the group voted her member of the month, writing, “Lily brings an extra warm and positive atmosphere to base and is always ready to help out in a pinch.”
Since January, she has also been working for the Island Falls Ambulance Service, filling in as needed, said Justin Ripley, the ambulance service’s director. “She’s been a valuable member of our team here,” he said. “She’s fit right in with the group.”
Robbins is one of three members of the family who owns the lumber mill and were injured when a silo at the mill exploded. Mill co-owners Alden and Jim Robbins are being treated at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to a statement from the Robbins family.
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston said on Monday that it is treating three people injured by the fire and they are all in critical condition, but did not respond to a request for an update on Wednesday.
Searsmont select board member Peter Milinazzo said the Robbins family is a big part of the community and has always been willing to lend a hand with whatever the community needed.
“They’re just down to earth, regular people,” he said.
Sarah Tompkins, a farmer, paramedic and Searsmont’s Rescue Chief was critically injured in the Robbins Lumber Mill explosion on Friday.
Tompkins is in critical but stable condition at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Her prognosis is “cautiously optimistic,” according to an email sent by her partner, Hubert McCabe, to customers and supporters of Fine Line Farm, the Searsmont farm they run together, on Wednesday.
Tompkins faces several months in the hospital followed by several more months of rehabilitation, McCabe wrote.
“She’s just a great person,” said Milinazzo. “I love her dearly.”
McCabe, who is a volunteer firefighter for Searsmont, was also a member of the town’s select board until he resigned on Monday morning, following the Robbins fire.
“All the people who work at the hospital are truly amazing,” McCabe said in the note to farm customers and supporters. “Angels really walk amongst us and most of them seem to work there.”
Tenderwild Farm in Rockport was one of many farms, farmers markets and agriculture to pay tribute to Tompkins and share a fundraising link on social media, calling her “an exceptional farmer and an extraordinary human being.”
Ellen Sabina, Director of Farmer Engagement and Access at Maine Farmland Trust, said the farming community in the area around Searsmont is particularly tight-knit.
“Almost every farmer you talk to knows and loves Sarah, whether they’ve worked alongside her at the Rockland or Camden farmer’s markets, borrowed a piece of equipment or traded knowledge, or know her through her work as a paramedic,” she said.
She said it’s been wonderful to see the outpouring of community support.
“That support will be critical as she continues to heal and she and her partner Hubert navigate the impacts of this for their lives and their farm,” she said.
The Camden Farmers Market also shared a fundraiser for Tompkins, noting that Tompkins always wears a monarch butterfly patterned apron when she tends her stand at the Saturday market. “Please help Sarah come back to us and wear her apron again.”
Katherine Paige, a volunteer firefighter for the Belmont and Northport fire departments, is hospitalized at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland. She comes from a firefighting family, said Henry Lang, Northport’s assistant fire chief. Her husband and daughter are also firefighters, while another daughter is a junior firefighter. Paige’s firefighter daughter was at the Searsmont fire scene and was not injured, Lang said.
“They have a tradition,” Lang said.
Paige is alert but on a breathing tube, her husband Paul Paige wrote Tuesday in a Facebook post. She was able to write ‘I love you’ on a piece of paper and blow a kiss, which made him and their daughter cry.
She was scheduled to have her first surgery on Wednesday, Paul said on Facebook.
She will need several surgeries and skin grafts and is expected to be in the hospital’s burn unit for well over a month, he wrote.
Katherine Paige was Belmont’s Firefighter of the Year in 2025, according to a fundraising post by her family.
Jacob Spaulding, a 23-year-old Montville firefighter, remains hospitalized at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center. He underwent eight hours of surgery on Tuesday, said Montville Fire Chief John York.
“Jacob is mending,” York said. “We’re hoping he’s going to be ok. He’ll never be the same, let’s be honest.”
Spaulding’s surgery went well and he is resting comfortably, according to an update from a family member posted Tuesday on Facebook.
Little additional information was available Wednesday about Tom Wolf, a Searsmont firefighter and employee of the Robbins Lumber mill, or about Wayne Woodbury, Searsmont’s assistant fire chief. Both are hospitalized at MaineHeath Maine Medical Center.
Memories about Andrew Cross, the Morrill firefighter who was killed, also continue to be posted across social media by people who knew him to be hardworking, community-minded, and a positive influence on others.
A public visitation for Cross will be held on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Riposta Funeral Home in Belfast. A memorial service will be held the next day, on Friday at 1 p.m. at Veracity Chapel in Morrill.
