美国联邦职业安全与卫生研究所发布的报告指出，2024年5月15日发生在缅因州锯木厂的爆炸事件中，消防员的灭火战术加剧了爆炸[1]。报告称，消防员向氧气限制型筒仓内喷水，违反了设备制造商的安全程序，导致空气被强制进入筒仓内部，形成潜在爆炸混合物[1]。
这场爆炸造成3人死亡，包括消防员韦恩·伍德伯里和安德鲁·克罗斯，以及磨坊共同所有者艾登·罗宾斯[1]。至少13人在事故中受伤[1]。事件发生在缅因州塞尔蒙特镇的罗宾斯木材公司，该地点位于波特兰东北约95英里处[1]。为应对事故，来自4县地区46个部门的299名消防员参与了应急处置[1]。
A federal workplace safety agency has concluded that firefighting efforts inadvertently intensified a catastrophic explosion at a Maine sawmill in May 2024.[1] According to a report from the U.S. federal occupational safety and health research institute, firefighters sprayed water into an oxygen-limited silo in violation of manufacturer safety procedures, forcing air into the structure and creating a suspended dust mixture capable of detonating.[1] The incident occurred on May 15, 2024, at Robbins Lumber Company in Salmon, approximately 95 miles northeast of Portland.[1]
The explosion claimed three lives, including two firefighters—Wayne Woodbury and Andrew Cross—and mill co-owner Aiden Robbins.[1] At least 13 additional people were injured in the blast.[1] The response mobilized 299 firefighters from 46 departments across a four-county region.[1] The manufacturer's safety guidelines explicitly prohibit spraying water or foam onto oxygen-limited silos, a directive that federal investigators determined the responding crews did not follow.[1]