BELFAST, Maine — Nearly three weeks ago, a massive fire tore through the Penobscot McCrum potato processing facility in Belfast, leaving 138 people without jobs.
Ever since then, several organizations in the city have worked to help provide support and resources to those workers.
On Tuesday, the City of Belfast and the Maine Department of Labor held a job and resources fair at the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. More than 40 employers were there, some looking to hire as many as 100 workers. The event was also open to the public.
Dorothy Havey, executive director for the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, said several organizations were there to provide additional services beyond job opportunities.
"The Belfast Soup Kitchen is here today with food boxes for people, Waldo Community Action Partners are here to help people with rent relief, fuel assistance, emergency food, and gas cards, and we have someone here to help the folks immediately get on healthcare if they need it," Havey said.
Eric Sanders, mayor of Belfast, said it was essential to the city to provide these people and anyone else in need of a job with the resources they may need.
"We thought, 'What can we do right now to ensure that those 138 people have an opportunity to rebuild their lives as quickly as possible?'" Sanders said.
Barbara Hayden and her husband, Chandler, worked at the Penobscot McCrum facility.
"The hardest part was seeing my life go up in flames," Hayden said.
The couple has worked at the facility for the last 2.5 years.
"Everything I planned is different now, you know, I have to re-evaluate what I'm going to do… it's hard," Hayden said.
Hayden said they're hoping to move forward now, looking for new employment opportunities at the job and resources fair.
"We had money saved, so we're doing ok. But it won't take long before it's going to be gone, so that's why we're looking for work," Hayden said.
The Haydens weren't the only couple from the facility looking for jobs. Bill Dagdy and his fiancée are in the same position.
"That was the big hit. The whole household lost its salary, you know. It wasn't just a well … I'm still working, or she's still working," Dagdy said.
Dagdy said they showed up for work that morning and couldn't believe what they saw.
Dagdy said he was thinking, "Now what? You know, I mean, what do you do? Your place of employment is on fire, and you know you're not going to be at work for a while, so now what?"
Now, the workers said they are trying to focus on the silver lining.
"There's so many jobs out there. I mean, there's a lot of opportunities," Dagdy said.
"We're all blessed that nobody got hurt, and that's the most important thing," Hayden said.
Mayor Sanders said the next step for the facility is to begin the demolition process.
There is still no word on whether the owners will decide to rebuild or relocate.