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Second worker exposed to gas at Maine pulp mill dies
Allen Hornberger, 26, had been hospitalized for nearly three weeks after the Jan. 27 incident at the Baileyville plant.
After spending nearly three weeks in critical condition, the second worker exposed to toxic gas inside a bleach plant at the Woodland Pulp Mill in Baileyville, Maine, has died.
Allen Hornberger, 26, was exposed to a fatal concentration of gas Jan. 27, according to a statement from his attorney, Elizabeth Kayatta of Berman & Simmons. He died Tuesday from his injuries, his parents said.
Kayatta shared a statement from Hornberger’s parents, Kathryn Reilley Hornberger and Al Hornberger Sr.
“It is inconceivable to lose him in such a way, when there are still so many questions surrounding what went wrong inside that plant,” the statement reads.
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Hornberger was born and raised in North Collins, New York, a small town in Erie County. He attended North Collins High School, where he played soccer, ran track, and competed on the Envirothon team. He graduated as valedictorian of his high school class in 2018, according to Kayatta.
Hornberger went on to study at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 2022, according to Kayatta. In 2025, he moved to Maine to begin working as a process engineer at Woodland Pulp.
“Allen was our only child and the light of our lives,” his parents said. “He was a kind and brilliant 26-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him. The world is a dimmer place for the loss of his genuine heart and extraordinary mind.”
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According to the mill, the incident occurred as workers were in the process of shutting down operations. Woodland Pulp spokesperson Scott Beal said Hornberger and another individual were near a section of the bleach plant when they were suddenly overcome.
The company said they believe the workers were exposed to an “inhalation hazard of gas.”
Kasie Malcolm, a University of Maine student who had recently started working at the mill as an intern, was also exposed during the incident and died the day after.
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