1 dead, 9 feared dead after Washington state chemical tank explosion
· Toronto Sun
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One person is dead and nine are missing and presumed dead after a chemical explosion at a Washington state pulp and paper mill.
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On Tuesday morning, emergency personnel converged on the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview for a “hazardous materials incident” after a tank of more than 900,000 gallons of chemicals exploded.
The Longview Fire Department said eight employees, along with one firefighter, were injured. Nine employees have yet to be accounted for.
Authorities noted there was no immediate threat to the surrounding area.
“Our community has entered a period of profound tragedy and deep mourning,” said Longview Mayor Erik Halvorson during a Tuesday night press conference, per ABC News.
“This is an amazing community of hardworking people and a tragedy like this affects absolutely everybody,” said Washington Sen. Patty Murray, as reported by USA Today .
Cause of explosion unknown
Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein told reporters on Tuesday that the cause of the tank rupture is still unknown, with authorities “dealing with life safety concerns and incident stabilization” at the moment.
The 900,000-gallon tank still has an estimated 90,000 gallons of material inside. It’s comprised of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulphide, and disodium carbonate.
The chemical mixture is used in the paper-making process, said Goldstein, per ABC News.
At the time of the chemical tank rupture, the pulp and paper mill also had a break in its water main, Goldstein said. About 500,000 gallons of the chemical mixture and water remained on the site.
Search for missing workers
Emergency personnel hoped to have a plan to stabilize the remaining chemicals in the tank so they could resume searching for additional victims on Wednesday.
Goldstein said “recovery and stabilization efforts” remain complex due to the hazards, noting crews are examining the structural integrity of the damaged tank. The tank remained unstable on Tuesday night, with concerns it could collapse while searching for the missing workers.
Batallion chief of the Longview Fire Department, Matt Amos, said some areas of the plant were inaccessible, per USA Today. Once the tank is stabilized and the remaining chemicals have been removed, then the search can resume.
What are the conditions of the victims?
Nine people were sent to PeaceHealth Medical Centre. PeaceHealth spokesperson said six of the individuals were in “fair condition.”
Two patients were transported to other medical facilities and a ninth died.
Legacy Health confirmed to ABC News it was treating patients from the incident, including some at the Legacy Oregon Burn Center in Portland, Ore.
The fire department said some of the injured suffered chemical burns. The injured firefighter was treated and later released.
The families of the victims have been contacted, authorities noted. None of the injured or deceased has been identified, USA Today reported.
The community held a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night, with some attendees holding pictures of loved ones involved in the incident.
What is Nippon Dynawave?
Located on the Washington-Oregon state border near the Columbia River, Nippon Dynawave is a kraft pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant. It employs close to 1,000 people, the Washington Department of Ecology noted.
The plant makes “280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard and wetlap and slush pulp each year,” the Ecology Department stated.
The paperboard material is used to make cartons and cups for products such as milk, juice and coffee.