It hasn’t been smooth sailing for paper mills in Maine, USA, for a couple of years now.

Many of them already faced closures or predicted closures, which would leave hundreds of people jobless.

Then the pandemic took hold and the mills that kept up operations had to reduce their workers to maintain the physical distancing measures in place to stem the spread of the virus.

Like many industries around the world, they’re having a tough time.

Things are a little direr for the Androscoggin Mill, which for reasons unknown, exploded earlier this week.

Per the New York Post:

The blast at the Androscoggin Mill “digester” — where wood chips, water and chemicals are mixed to make paper — occurred at around noon, police said.

Pixelle Specialty Solutions, owner of the facility, said that although no employees suffered injuries, some experienced respiratory distress.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle, and we are grateful,” Mill spokesperson Roxie Lassetter said.

They reckon the reduced workforce is what saved lives.

The explosion was caught on video:

You can check it out from another angle, with some colourful commentary, here:

An investigation into the explosion is underway – more on that here.

[source:nypost]