‘We remain hopeful’: Injured maintenance worker still critical weeks after Maine explosion, says family
“Please keep Larry in your prayers.”
A maintenance manager — who has been credited with saving lives by evacuating a building in Farmington, Maine, before it exploded in September — remains in critical condition with the injuries he sustained in the blast, his family said Sunday. Larry Lord was one of seven injured when a propane explosion leveled the building that housed a nonprofit on September 16. A Farmington firefighter, 68-year-old Michael Bell, was killed.Authorities said Lord evacuated at least a dozen employees from the building when the odor of gas was detected, then went back into the building with firefighters just before the explosion occurred. He suffered severe burns over half of his body, broken bones, and critical multiple traumas, his family said on the GoFundMe page set up to support him and his family. On Sunday, the family thanked the community for the outpouring of support and love they have experienced. “We take great comfort and inspiration from your prayers, positive thoughts and kind words and support,” they wrote on GoFundMe. “It means the world to us. And we know Larry is strengthened by your kindness. We are deeply humbled and extremely grateful. Please keep Larry in your prayers.”Lord’s doctors at Mass. General Hospital still consider Lord’s condition as “critical,” they said. “We remain hopeful and are amazed by Larry’s strength and courage,” Lord’s family wrote. “He continues to receive the best possible care here and we are with him every day. The medical team here has been wonderful.”According to the Morning Sentinel, 11 homes were destroyed in the blast, leaving 30 people homeless. An investigation into the blast found that a damaged fuel line caused the 400-gallon propane tank to empty, with much of the gas settling into the building’s basement before the explosion, the AP reports. Lord evacuated the building after smelling the propane and seeing the tank was empty. On Friday, Maine Medical Center released updates on the conditions of the two firefighters who remain hospitalized from the explosion. Scott Baxter was upgraded from serious to “fair,” and Farmington Chief Terry Bell, whose brother Michael was killed, was upgraded from fair to “satisfactory.”
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