PHOTOS: A firefighter is dead and several people are in serious and critical condition after a burning silo exploded at the Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont, according to the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office. Maine State Police have identified the victim as Morrill Firefighter Andrew Cross.

Cross’ remains were transported from the Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta to a funeral home in Belfast Saturday morning. “Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of Andrew Cross, the Morrill Firefighter who lost his life during the tragic events at Searsmont.” Maine State Police said in a Facebook post.

The scene was turned over to the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office on Saturday. On Sunday morning, investigators from the Office of State Fire Marshal (FMO) were joined by Special Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Response Team (ATF NRT).

Fire investigators from both agencies will conduct a joint scene examination to determine the origin and cause of the fire and subsequent explosion. “We owe the people of Maine a thorough, professional, and methodical investigation. ATF is the only federal agency tasked with fire investigation.”

“Therefore, at our request, the ATF NRT has responded with specialized personnel and resources, including forensic scientists, electrical engineers, computer modeling experts, and additional fire investigation personnel to support complex investigations of this nature,” the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office said in a statement on Sunday.

Investigators were expected to remain on scene for most of the week. “The impact of this emergency will be felt for years to come,” the Fire Marshal’s Office said.

WMTW-TV ABC 8 Poland Spring

The post VIDEOS: Firefighter killed, several in critical condition after explosion at Maine lumber mill appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: More than 100 years ago, a night of celebration at the Cleveland School in Kershaw County turned into an unimaginable disaster. Seventy-seven people lost their lives. For the families of those who survived, the memories remain vivid.

It was a warm May afternoon in 1923. The Cleveland School in Camden was filled with the sounds of kids performing in their end-of-year play. In a matter of minutes, that joy changed to fear.

“It was probably utter chaos at that point, because everyone was panicking. Some people, it was reported, kind of froze in fright,” said Chief Chris Jones, president of the Cleveland School Memorial Foundation. “Others probably reacted in panic, and that led to everyone rushing down the stairway. And it was the only way out.”

With only one way up and one way down, the narrow wooden stairwell became jammed with people trying to escape. As the smoke thickened, the playground below the two-story building turned into a landing zone.

Parents who had been waiting outside used their own vehicles to cushion the fall of children jumping from the second floor. Ann Seegars’ mother-in-law was one of those kids.

“There was a combination of horse and buggies that came, and some cars. So the cars, they lined them up, I think, under the windows, and some of the men began to throw out the children, you know, to get them to safety,” said Seegars, a member of the Cleveland School Memorial Foundation. “My mother-in-law was thrown out. She hit a car, and it broke her arm. But it saved her life.”

Chief Eddie Gardner’s grandmother was also one of the survivors. He grew up hearing about “the big fire,” eventually realizing the great horror his family had gone through.

WIS-TV NBC 10 Columbia

The post ‘Utter Chaos:’ How the 1923 Cleveland School fire in South Carolina reshaped modern safety codes appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

PHOTOS: A two-alarm fire tore through a more than 100-year-old church in Wilmington, Delaware, leaving most of the historic structure in ruins.

Battalion Chief of the Wilmington Fire Department, Robert Pryor, told NBC10 that the fire broke out around 3 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at the Mother African Union Church along North Franklin Street.

Pryor said the fire spread throughout the entire church, shooting flames 20 to 30 feet into the air.

“Due to the extensive fire conditions, a defensive attack was ordered and all arriving units were ordered to attack the fire from the exterior. A second alarm was quickly transmitted, bringing all remaining on duty Wilmington firefighters to the scene, along with assistance from several New Castle County departments,” said Pryor.

It took crews over an hour to get the fire under control.

While firefighters battled the flames, they also evacuated the surrounding homes due to falling embers, according to Pryor.

WCAU-TV NBC 10 Philadelphia

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