LONGVIEW, Wash.\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The implosion of a chemical tank at a pulp and paper mill in southwestern Washington state on Tuesday killed an undisclosed number of people and injured at least 10, while others remained missing, authorities said.<\/p>\n
In a joint statement, Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. and local first response agencies confirmed there had been fatalities; the number was unclear, Cowlitz Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein said at a news conference. Asked how many remained missing, he replied: \u201cWe have information on that, but we\u2019re not releasing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among those injured was a responding firefighter. Authorities said some victims suffered burns or inhalation injuries, and that the severity of the injuries ranged from minor to critical. There was no immediate threat to the public, they said.<\/p>\n
The statement, issued more than four hours after the tank imploded at 7:15 a.m., said crews were continuing recovery operations and that no identifying information would be released about victims pending notification of relatives.<\/p>\n
Some people waited at the company\u2019s visitor entrance, seeking information about loved ones who worked at the facility. They declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter.<\/p>\n
The Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. facility is a pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant along the Columbia River in Longview, a city of about 38,000 that has had a relationship with the paper and lumber industries since its founding by a Kansas City timber baron in the 1920s.<\/p>\n
The facility, which employs about 1,000 people, makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates, cartons and other goods. It is located in an industrial zone shared by other timber, paper and chemical businesses and remains central to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people who are responders here have friends and relatives that work on site,\u201d Goldstein noted. \u201cIt is something that is impactful, and we have support networks to support the workers as well as the emergency responders.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 80,000-gallon tank that imploded was about 60% full, Goldstein said. It contained a chemical brew known as \u201cwhite liquor,\u201d a corrosive substance that consists mainly of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide and is used to break down wood to make kraft paper, a durable paper used in packaging, shopping bags and other products.<\/p>\n
It was too early to determine the cause of the implosion, Goldstein said.<\/p>\n
In a written statement, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington called the implosion an \u201cabsolute tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy heart is with everyone who lost a loved one today \u2014 as well as the injured workers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mike Gorsuch, battalion chief with the fire department in Longview, described it as a \u201cmass casualty scene.\u201d He said first responders had decontaminated patients and taken them to hospitals in Longview and Vancouver, Wash.<\/p>\n
About 40 firefighters and paramedics had responded, along with a regional hazmat team, Gorsuch said.<\/p>\n
Following the tank\u2019s rupture, the white liquor spilled into a drainage ditch, said Brittny Goodsell, a state Ecology Department spokesperson. The department sent a team to evaluate the impacts, Goodsell said.<\/p>\n
In Southern California, thousands of Orange County residents<\/a> remained evacuated Tuesday because of a damaged chemical tank at an aerospace plant.<\/p>\n