FARMINGTON – The LEAP Inc. employee that was badly injured in the Sept. 16 explosion at an office building on the Farmington Falls Road is continuing to improve at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, with his condition listed as “serious” Wednesday.
Larry Lord, 61 of Jay, is the maintenance supervisor for LEAP Inc. that has been called a hero by local officials after he helped evacuate the building of his fellow employees prior to the blast. The explosion occurred as Lord and members of Farmington Fire Rescue were investigating a report of a gas smell; the blast killed Capt. Michael Bell, 68, and sent six more firefighters to the hospital. Deputy Chief S. Clyde Ross was treated and released at Franklin Memorial Hospital, while Capt. Scott Baxter, Chief Terry Bell, Capt. Timothy “TD” Hardy and firefighters Joseph Hastings and Theodore “Ted” Baxter were transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland.
According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Lord was in the basement of the building with Hardy, Hastings and Capt. Baxter when the explosion took place.
Lord was taken to Mass General with injuries that included severe burns, broken bones and other critical injuries, according to information posted to a gofundme site. Until this week, his condition has been generally listed as critical with Mass General; that condition was upgraded to serious Wednesday.
Lord is the last person injured in the Sept. 16 explosion to remain in the hospital. The firefighters were discharged over the past couple of weeks; Capt. Baxter was released to a rehabilitation facility over the weekend.
Investigators believe that propane leaked out of the buried line that ran from an external tank to the building, permeating the ground beneath the parking lot and then entering the building’s basement. That tank was filled with nearly 400 gallons of propane on Sept. 13, but was discovered to be empty on the morning of Sept. 16, prior to the explosion. The cause of the leak and what sparked the explosion remains under investigation.
Information about a number of different benefit events and ways to donate to support those impacted by the explosion can be found here.
What wonderful news it is to see some improvement in his condition! Continued prayers for the Lord family on his road to recovery.
Best news I’ve ever read on these pages!!! Stay strong,Larry!!
Still praying for Sandy and Larry every day.
Praise God for the news. And for all of these fine men. They are all a blessing.
Praying for continued healing for everyone.
Carol
What good news! We have all been praying for this man, whose actions kept the tragedy from becoming much worse. We hope to hear that his injuries are healing and that his improvement continues.