Crews on Friday recovered the remains of one more victim of a massive chemical tank rupture at a paper mill in Washington state, leaving two workers still unaccounted for. Among the 11 workers killed in the disaster were two brothers who worked together, a trivia champion, and an electrician who helped neighbouring farmers cut hay.
The Incident
A tank containing more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million litres) of a mixture used to break down wood for papermaking collapsed Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, a city along the Columbia River. The collapse unleashed a flood of caustic chemicals powerful enough to overturn pickup trucks and damage buildings at the site. The liquid, known as white liquor, causes severe burns on contact and lung damage if vapors are inhaled.
Recovery Efforts
The recovery of victims has been slow and methodical, complicated by the dangers posed by the remaining chemicals and other industrial hazards, said Matt Amos, Longview fire battalion chief. Six bodies were found on Thursday. Crews have been steering clear of a zone closest to the tank and working with engineers to determine which damaged buildings near it are safe to enter. As they collect remains, crews must decontaminate them before turning them over to the coroner’s office for identification. The searchers also must decontaminate themselves.
The Victims
Authorities have not released the names of those killed, but friends and relatives have begun confirming identities and posting online fundraisers. Among the victims were brothers Tyler and Brad Covington, who worked together at the plant. An online effort to support Tyler Covington's family noted he “leaves behind his wife and their three beautiful children, who are now trying to navigate a future without the man who was their rock, protector, and greatest source of love and support.”
Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather who was an electrician at the plant, was the first confirmed death, his friend Todd Cornwell said. “He was one of the most genuinely good people that you’ve ever met. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it,” Cornwell said.
John Forsberg, who also died in the collapse, was witty, kind and “wicked smart,” said friend Kole Musgrove, who hosts a trivia night at Ashtown Brewing in Longview, where Forsberg regularly competed. The brewery is renaming its trivia trophy the Forsberg Cup to honour him. “It seemed like there was never a fact he didn't know,” Musgrove said. “He was also a tremendous sport — he was always the first to cheer for another team when they won.” A GoFundMe post sought donations for Forsberg's two children.
CJ Doran, 26, was “the spiritual leader of their family, the joy of their home, and the family provider,” according to a GoFundMe post verified by the crowdfunding site.
Other victims included Jared Ammons, who had two children and another on the way, and Braydon Finkas, an electrician at the plant, who, along with his longtime partner, Kaitlyn Kincaid, hosted exchange students and others in need, according to their friend Rex Czuba. Finkas moved to Cathlamet about four years ago to build a house and start a farm, Czuba said. He always was willing to help other farmers cut hay or load equipment, or buy a beer for a new face in their small town. “He really jumped in and became a part of the community so quickly,” Czuba said.
Impact on the Area
The tank failure also injured eight people, including a firefighter. Some suffered burns or inhalation injuries, authorities said. The mill’s Japanese parent company, Nippon Paper Group, said in an updated statement Friday it was offering its “heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families.”
Authorities said Thursday the spill had not contaminated the air and drinking water in and around Longview, a city of about 40,000 people along Washington’s border with Oregon. The community, founded at the confluence of the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers by a Kansas City timber baron in the 1920s, has deep ties to paper and lumber industries. Generations of families have worked in the mills, and many residents who spoke with The Associated Press had family members or friends connected to the Nippon Dynawave plant. The sprawling facility, which employs about 1,000 people, makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates and cartons. It sits along the Columbia River next to other timber, paper and chemical businesses.
Crews worked to flush water from ditches near the plant and dilute it before pumping it into the river. Some contamination has reached the river, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has had no noticeable effect.
