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One firefighter dead and seven others hurt in Farmington explosion. (Updated)
Last edited Tue Sep 17, 2019, 01:32 PM - Edit history (2)
FARMINGTON, Maine — Officials said one firefighter is dead and seven others — including the town’s fire chief — were injured in a massive building explosion Monday morning on Route 2 that happened after a propane leak and has the area looking like “a war zone.”The explosion happened at 313 Farmington Falls Road — also known as Route 2 — around 8:30 a.m. Monday. Photographs from the scene showed the blast leveled the building housing a nonprofit, LEAP Inc., that serves adults with developmental disabilities.
Scott Landry, who serves as a Farmington selectman, state representative and on the organization’s board, said he had been told one firefighter died in the explosion after responding to a propane leak. Seven others were initially taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital.
Farmington police Chief Jack Peck Jr. said six people were taken by helicopter from there other hospitals, including Terry Bell, the town’s fire chief, and the victims were largely affected by burns. A hospital spokeswoman said one victim had been taken to a Boston hospital, three to Maine Medical Center in Portland and two others to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
https://bangordailynews.com/2019/09/16/news/mid-maine/firefighters-injured-in-explosion-in-farmington/
3 firefighters remain in critical condition after deadly Farmington explosion.
Three of the six firefighters who were injured in Monday morning’s explosion in Farmington are in critical condition at a Portland hospital.Maine Medical Center announced just before noon Tuesday that Farmington fire Chief Terry Bell; Capt. Scott Baxter; and his father, Theodore Baxter, are in critical condition, while Capt. Timothy Hardy and Joseph Hastings are in fair condition. A sixth firefighter, Deputy fire Chief Clyde Ross, was treated and released from a Farmington hospital on Monday.
The news comes as officials with the Maine fire marshal’s office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives on Tuesday morning arrived at the scene at 313 Farmington Falls Road, where a two-story building that housed a nonprofit, LEAP Inc., that serves adults with developmental disabilities exploded following a gas leak, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
https://bangordailynews.com/2019/09/17/news/mid-maine/investigators-arrive-at-scene-of-farmington-explosion-that-killed-firefighter/
5 replies
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Hell of a thing to have happen.
Robert F. Bukaty and David Sharp, Associated Press
Updated 9:22 pm CDT, Tuesday, September 17, 2019
FARMINGTON, Maine (AP) — A maintenance manager was credited Tuesday with saving lives by evacuating a building before an explosion that gravely injured him, while investigators began examining the rubble to determine the cause and the firefighter who died was saluted.
Larry Lord emptied the building of "at least a dozen or so employees" when the odor of propane gas was detected just minutes before the powerful blast destroyed the building and killed a firefighter, Police Chief Jack Peck said Tuesday.
. . .
"They got a warning from the maintenance guy," she said Monday, calling him a hero.
Her colleagues told her that they were taken to a safe area but that Lord went back inside with firefighters before the blast occurred.
More:
https://media.graytvinc.com/images/810*452/GO+FUNDME+over+52+FOR+WEB.PNG
LEAP worker hailed as hero for evacuating employees
LEAP maintenance worker Larry Lord is credited with saving more than a dozen employees after warning them to the smell of gas
Author: Hannah Dineen
Published: 8:10 PM EDT September 17, 2019
Updated: 11:45 AM EDT September 18, 2019
FARMINGTON, Maine — As the Farmington community comes to terms with the tragedy of the LEAP, Inc., explosion, stories of heroism are emerging.
One story that has tugged at hearts across the country is the heroic actions of Larry Lord, the maintenance worker at LEAP, a nonprofit that serves people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities.
. . .
The GoFundMe page says, "Larry suffered severe burns on over half of his body, multiple traumas, broken bones, and critical injuries. He was air lifted to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he’s expected to be for 4 months."
It also says he is recovering in the ICU burn unit.
. . .
Lord lives with his wife Sandy in Jay, Maine. In addition to working maintenance at LEAP, Inc., he is the animal control officer in the town of Livermore Falls.
Before those professional roles, he spent many years of his life working in a paper mill.
Coworkers describe Lord as an incredibly dedicated and hard worker. He is the person everyone turns to for any problem, not matter how small. Lord played a major role in the recent renovation and expansion of the new LEAP facility, which was set to have a grand reopening next month.
More:
https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/life/leap-worker-hailed-as-hero-for-evacuating-employees-before-farmington-explosion/97-f10d626d-04ef-457f-9920-0780d6b29ab7
And thank you for the update and the pictures.