Procession held for fallen Searsmont assistant fire chief

BELFAST, Maine (WABI) - Community members in Searsmont gathered together Monday afternoon to honor Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury.

Woodbury died Sunday from injuries he sustained while responding to the fire and explosion at Robbins Lumber last month.

The procession made its way from the Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta, passing through Main Street in Searsmont on its way to Riposta Funeral Home in Belfast.

Police, firefighters, and community members awaited the arrival of the motorcade at the funeral home.

To pay tribute to the fallen firefighter, an American flag was hung above Waldo Avenue, and his hearse was saluted once it arrived.

WABI spoke with a few Knox County residents.

Those who knew him say that Woodbury was a very friendly man and was enjoyable to talk to.

They also say he was mainstay of service in the county, with community members praying deeply for his family members at this time.

“He was a really nice guy. I’d talk to him when I’d go down, take my dog down, and she’d roll over and get belly rubbed. But he would be cooking at the suppers they’d have and stuff like that. And he was really a nice man. When he died, I took it very hard, very hard, because I know what these firemen went through. I was the fire chief years ago, and we never had anything as bad as this. It’s just so sad,” said Searsmont resident George Sprowl Sr.

Woodbury is the second person to have died as a result of the fire.