Two injured in collapse of old paper mill in Western Mass.

Two people were injured when a building partially collapsed at the old Strathmore paper mill in Western Massachusetts, according to state and local officials.

One person was flown to a hospital by helicopter. The other person was taken to a local hospital. Their condition was not yet known Monday evening.

According to Jason Forgue, the city’s building inspector, the incident occurred at the former mill complex at 268 Woronoco Road in Russell around 3 p.m.

State Troopers and local police responded to the scene. State police removed the two people from the building, an agency spokesman said.

The large public safety response prompted police to order people to “stay away from the immediate area,” the Russell-Montgomery Police Department said in a statement on Facebook.

Local roads reopened after the scene was cleared.

The cause of the collapse is under investigation by state police, Forgue said.

Russell is a small town about eight miles west of the town of Westfield.

Tom Kulig, chairman of the city’s City Council, said police will release more details in a statement at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The collapse is under investigation, he said in an email.

Strathmore Paper Co. was closed several years ago and the extensive building complex has largely disappeared to leave.

In 2022, a huge fire, sparked by a welding torch, spread from one factory building to another. According to the state Department of Fire Services, the building’s owner has been issued a violation citation for failure to comply with state fire laws.

Adam Sennott can be reached at [email protected].