Woman strikes tractor-trailer on Interstate 95, totals SUV

A Brewer woman escaped injury Wednesday morning when her SUV struck a tractor- trailer that had stopped abruptly in front of her on Interstate 95 near Pittsfield.

Patricia Kelley, 47, was headed southbound at about 10 a.m. when a truck hauling an empty flatbed trailer approached her from an onramp at Exit 150, Maine State Police Trooper John Brown said.

Kelley moved her 2000 Ford Explorer from the travel lane to the passing lane to let the truck in, Brown said. The truck driver, however, merged across both lanes and then stopped short to turn left into a emergency crossover.

Kelley couldn’t stop in time and crashed into the back of the trailer. She then continued into a ditch, totaling her vehicle. The woman, who was wearing a seat belt, managed to avoid injury, according to Brown.

The truck driver, however, didn’t stop. Instead, he turned around and continued heading north. Kelley described the truck, which had New Brunswick, Canada, license plates, but Brown was unable to locate the vehicle as of Wednesday afternoon. (Eric Russell, BDN)

For the second time in a month, the Corinth Wood Pellets Manufacturing plant had a fire, although the one late Tuesday paled in comparison to a blaze in May.

Tuesday’s fire, which was called in at 10 p.m., was relatively minor and caused no obvious damage, plant managing director George Saffron said Wednesday.

“Occasionally, we’ll get a fire if a piece of gravel gets into our building and sparks,” he said.

Local firefighters responded to the fire call on Tuesday, but workers already had the fire suppressed by the time officials arrived, according to Saffron. He said the company is in the process of making slight changes to its wood pellet factory, including installing its own fire suppression system.

“I always tell workers that if there’s any doubt whatsoever, call the fire department,” he said. “But, in the future, it will be easier on everyone.”

Corinth Wood Pellets was forced to halt production for about two days in late May after a fire caused several thousand dollars worth of damage to rafters inside the metal-roofed building. (Eric Russell, BDN)