Andrew Cross didn’t have to be there. His shift at Bath Iron Works was done, his tools put away, and by most accounts, he had every reason to stay home that Thursday evening. But that just wasn’t who Andrew was. The 27-year-old Outside Machinist and volunteer firefighter suited up and responded to the call when a fire broke out at the Robbins Lumber mill in Searsmont, Maine, on May 15, 2026 — and he never made it back.
Cross died when a burning silo at the mill suddenly exploded during active firefighting operations. The blast tore through the scene without warning, killing him and injuring 12 others — a group that included fellow firefighters, EMS workers, and mill employees who had been working to contain what had quickly become a dangerous and fast-moving situation. By the time the smoke settled, a community had lost one of its finest, and a family had lost their son, their brother, their hero.
At Bath Iron Works, Cross had been clocking in as an Outside Machinist for nearly seven years. His seven-year work anniversary was set for May 20 — just five days after his death. Those who worked alongside him remembered a man who showed up every single day with the same quiet determination and the same steady hands. No drama, no shortcuts. Just a guy who took pride in the work and cared deeply about the people doing it with him.
IAM Local S6 President Tim Suitter didn’t mince words when reflecting on who Andrew was to the union. “Brother Cross represented the very best of our union,” Suitter said, describing a man who led not by talking about it, but by living it — someone who earned the respect of everyone around him simply by being exactly who he was every single day. That kind of person is rare, and the people who knew him knew exactly how rare.
David Sullivan, the IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President, also spoke on behalf of the wider union family, saying, “Brother Cross lived a life of service and sacrifice.” Those words carried real weight, because Andrew wasn’t just showing up for a paycheck or a ribbon. He was giving his time — often nights and weekends — to protect people in his community who never even knew his name. That’s what volunteer firefighting is. You sign up knowing you might be called, and you go anyway.
The investigation into the Searsmont mill fire is still ongoing. Officials say emergency crews responded to a rapidly escalating scene, and the silo explosion occurred during what had already become a high-pressure operation. Twelve people were injured. But it’s Andrew Cross whose absence will echo the longest in the firehouses, the shop floors, and the kitchens of the people who loved him.
In the days since the tragedy, Andrew’s family has asked that well-wishers skip the flower arrangements and instead make donations to the Morrill Volunteer Fire Department in his memory. It’s a request that says everything about who Andrew was and the world he believed in — a world where community shows up for community, where ordinary people do extraordinary things without expecting anything in return. Andrew Cross lived that truth right up until his last breath.
