Tuesday, June 6, 2023 2:15 pm
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MAINE (From news reports) -- An issue at one of Maine's last remaining papers mills, caused by the wild weather that rolled through the state, forced the evacuation of part of the plant's staff on Friday afternoon.
The ND Paper Mill on Hartford Street in Rumford was struck by lightning (or there was a lightning strike VERY near the mill) at about 2:20 on Friday afternoon. That lightning strike caused a power outage for the mill.
Because chlorine gas was in the process of being made during the power outage, it caused a build up of the gas.
When power was restored to the mill, a fan kicked on and reportedly sent a large green cloud of the gas into the immediate area. As a precaution, a part of the mill was evacuated.
Emergency crews responded just after 3:30 on Friday afternoon.
Fortunately, it appears that no one was injured in the incident.