JAY, Maine — One year ago, on April 15, 2020, a pulp digester exploded at the Androscoggin Mill in Jay.
The mill employed more than 500 workers at the time of the explosion. Remarkably, none of the 165 to 175 employees who were working when the explosion occurred were injured.
“Our team in Androscoggin has performed exceptionally. First and foremost, we will always remember that immediately following the rupture, they utilized their training, skill, and bravery to safely shut down operations," Tim Hess, president and chief executive officer of Pixelle Specialty Solutions, the company that owns the mill, said at the time. "Likewise, we will always be grateful there were no injuries, and no environmental impact.”
The mill announced July 9, 2020, that it would reduce its number of employees over time. Since then, 177 workers have been laid off.
“No one foresaw, wanted or caused the rupture that led to these unfortunate reductions of valued team members," Mill manager Eric Hanson said in a statement in October 2020, after the third round of layoffs. "We will provide those affected with compensation, benefits, and job placement assistance.”
After the explosion, which happened around noon, seven fire departments responded and dealt with a small fire inside the plant.
WARNING: The video below contains explicit language.
Kristen Goodhart's son, Cameron, who lives in Jay, was working in the powerhouse when the explosion happened.
Goodhart said she barely had a moment to let the information register when she said her son called her thirty seconds later to tell her he was ok.
"He said he is OK. There was a lot of screaming in the background, a lot of commotion going on. He said he was going back into the mill to do what he can to help out," Goodhart explained at the time.
Androscoggin Bank announced Wednesday it has secured a $50,000 grant to assist businesses in Jay and surrounding communities who have lost income related to COVID-19. The explosion impacted Jay and surrounding communities, including companies that brought wood to the mill and other logging-related businesses.
“The JNE Recovery Grant program provides grants to member banks such as ours to distribute to small businesses who have experienced income loss in the past year during the pandemic,” John Simko, vice president of government finance at Androscoggin Bank, said in a release. “Pandemic-related business closures coincided with the unfortunate explosion of the pulp digester at the Androscoggin Mill in Jay. We recognized the financial struggle of many of our bank clients who used to bring wood to the Jay Mill and wanted to help.”
Androscoggin Bank has identified seven businesses who will each receive over $7,000 in grants to help offset financial losses. They include:
- K&R Flagg Logging in Livermore Falls
- Scott Bowen Trucking in Jay
- Johnny Castonguay Logging & Trucking in Livermore
- Austin’s Excavating and Logging in Canton
- Fat Man Trucking, Inc. in Jay
- Grover Trucking, LLC in Livermore Falls
- Tibbetts Trucking, LLC in Livermore Falls
“My husband and two sons are loggers,” Kristal Flagg of K&R Flagg Logging said. “When mills shut down or have layoffs, the companies help their employees but the loggers who bring wood to the mill don’t get those same benefits. It’s been a scary year and we’ve done our best to make ends meet. This grant will help us pay some of our equipment debt and we are grateful for this unexpected gift.”