Investigation begins into cause of massive paper mill blast

A dozen state and federal investigators on Thursday began their investigation into the cause of a paper mill explosion that sent debris and a slurry of chemicals raining down on nearby cars and buildings.

The blast at the Androscoggin Mill shook the ground Wednesday and sent a plume of smoke into the air that could be seen for miles around.

Yet no one was injured.

"If ever there was a day when we should believe in miracles, today is it," an emotional Gov. Janet Mills told reporters on Wednesday.

The explosion happened in a 70-foot-tall, kettle-like device called a "digester" that contained a slurry of wood chips, water and chemicals. Nearby vehicles were covered with a thick, brown substance that fell from the sky after the blast.

At the mill, more than 100 cars were in the parking lot Thursday morning, indicating workers were on duty. But there was no immediate word on whether paper production could continue after the blast.

The investigation into the cause of the blast was led by a team of investigators from the Fire Marshal's Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Those investigators were on site Thursday, he said.

The mill was built in the mid-1960s in Jay, which today is a community of about 5,000 people. It changed ownership in February when it was sold by Ohio-based Verso to a Pennsylvania company, Pixelle Specialty Solutions.