Hundreds of people gathered in Belfast on Thursday evening to pay their respects to Andrew Cross, the 27-year-old Morrill fire fighter who was killed in the fire and explosion at the Robbins Lumber plant in Searsmont last Friday.
Some people waited outside for nearly an hour in line to enter the Riposta Funeral Home where a public visitation was held ahead of Cross’ funeral, to be held in Morrill tomorrow.
Among the crowd were dozens of firefighters — some from as far away as Boston — wearing black bands of mourning on their badges, as well as investigators that have been on the site of the fire for days, sifting through rubble and interviewing witnesses.
The fire injured at least twelve people, including first responders, a mill worker and two of the mill’s owners. Eight people remain hospitalized in burn units at MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Joseph Berube from Northport coached Cross in junior high soccer and his sons played soccer with him. “It’s just something that you want people to know, that your son was important to me, too.”
At his side, his daughter Alicia Berube, said she went to school with Cross’ younger sisters. “They are just a lovely family and I wanted to support them,” she said.
Cross was a natural leader with “tremendous qualities as a human being,” said Kevin Coombs on Thursday before the memorial. Coombs, a Troy Howard Middle School teacher, has known the Cross family for years and coached Andrew Cross on baseball and soccer teams.
“He’s what most people want to be,” Coombs said. “He was really, really selfless and extremely modest.”
Coombs wasn’t surprised to hear that Cross was on the front lines of the fire. “He was just that kind of guy, he had a lot of courage,” he said.
Amanda Beal, commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, said she came to show support for the Cross family and first responders. Forest rangers were part of the response at the Searsmont fire, she said.
“It’s just a very, very tight knit community,” she said.
Leaving the memorial, Belfast Mayor Eric Sanders blinked back tears. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
The last week has been difficult, said Sanders, who coached Cross’ sisters in basketball at the YMCA and has children around his age.
But the outpouring of love and support has been heartening.
“It reminds you of how strong people are in the community and how much people care,” Sanders said.
Gesturing to the dozens of people lined waiting to enter the building he said, “This is what small town America does.”
At 12:30 pm tomorrow, Belfast police and fire will escort Cross’ body to the Veracity Chapel in Morrill where a funeral service for family and friends will begin at 1 pm.
