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

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

Local roads were reopened after the scene was cleared.

The cause of the collapse is being investigated by State Police, Forgue said.

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

Police will release more details in a statement at 10 a.m. Tuesday, said Tom Kulig, chairman of the town’s Board of Elections. The collapse is under investigation, he said in an email.

Strathmore Paper Co. It closed a few years ago and the sprawling building complex has largely abandoned.

In 2022, a huge fire caused by a blowtorch spread from one mill building to another. According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the owner of the building was issued a violation notice for failure to comply with the state fire code.

Adam Sennott can be reached at [email protected].