Video has captured the dramatic moment a Maine paper mill was destroyed by a massive explosion. The blast rocked the Androscoggin Mill ...
Video has captured the dramatic moment a Maine paper mill was destroyed by a massive explosion.
The blast rocked the Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay Wednesday afternoon, shaking the ground and causing plumes of black smoke to shoot up into the air.
Video, recorded by a witness from the inside of a truck, shows debris from the explosion making bullet-like noises as it struck other vehicles in the area.
Remarkably, no one was injured in the blast.
Emergency responders rushed to the mill, and the state fire marshal planned an investigation. The cause of the blast is not yet clear.
The mill, which employs about 500 people, is a key piece of rural Maine's economy.
Another onlooker captured the explosion at Androscoggin Mill in the town of Jay on Wednesday. The explosion shook the ground and produced a plume of black smoke that was visible for miles around
Wreckage smolders at the Androscoggin Mill after an explosion at the paper mill, Wednesday, April 15, 2020, in Jay, Maine.
Mill spokesperson Roxie Lassetter said the company was in the preliminary stages of assessing what happened and evaluating the environmental impact.
The explosion released a mixture of wood fiber, water and chemicals, and the company is taking steps to restore order to the mill site, Lassetter said.
Gov. Janet Mills urged residents to stay far from the scene, issuing an emailed statements asking residents to 'join me in praying for the safety and wellbeing of all those in and around the historic mill.'
The mill was built in the mid-1960s in Jay, which today is a community of about 5,000 people.
Maine Senate President Troy Jackson said the state will need to support the community and its workforce in the wake of such a major blow.
'To the 500 mill workers, who showed up to work today expecting it to be an ordinary day, I know that this is devastating and that the next few hours, days and weeks won´t be easy,' he said.
An ambulance arrives at the Androscoggin Mill after an explosion at the paper mill. The explosion shook the ground and produced a plume of black smoke that was visible for miles around
The mill had been sold in February by Ohio-based Verso Paper to a specialty paper producer in Pennsylvania.
Pixelle Specialty Solutions, of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, acquired both the Jay mill and another mill in Wisconsin in a $400 million deal. Pixelle said at the time that the deal would make it the largest specialty paper business in the U.S. in terms of annual production.
'We ask for everyone´s continued prayers through this and will update information once it is available. We are also asking that you stay away from the area and allow the crews to work,' said Shiloh LaFreniere, spokeswoman for Pixelle.
In this aerial view, bent and charred metal remains after an explosion at the Androscoggin paper mill Wednesday
The mill was built in the mid-1960s in Jay, which today is a community of about 5,000 people. It is pictured in the days before the blast
No comments