Deaths reported in chemical implosion in Washington

At least one person was killed in an implosion at a manufacturing plant in southwestern Washington on Tuesday.

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Some people were missing, officials said at a news conference.

Local law enforcement, fire department and company officials said in a joint statement that a tank containing white liquor, a chemical used in the paper-pulping process, ruptured early Tuesday at Nippon Dynawave Packaging in Longview.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson expressed condolences for the reported casualties on social media and said responders from the state Ecology Department had been deployed to the scene.

“I’m deeply saddened to hear that there have been fatalities. My thoughts are with the workers and their families, and with the first responders,” Ferguson said.

Officials confirmed the situation was fatal, but did not say how many were killed. They said that, based on preliminary information, the rupture resulted in “multiple critical injuries” but did not provide additional details.

An update was planned for Tuesday evening.

Eli Bernal said his father Gilbert Bernal, 52, was killed at the plant, where they both worked.

​Patients were taken to area hospitals in Longview and Vancouver for treatment, according to the statement.

“There are also individuals who remain unaccounted for as crews continue the accountability and recovery operations. One firefighter also was injured during the response, and he has since been treated and released at our Longview hospital,” Mike Gorsuch, battalion chief for the Longview Fire Department, said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Officials advised that there is no immediate threat to the surrounding community but urged people to stay away from the plant.

A Washington representative for the Association of Washington Pulp and Paper Workers union said he was with workers’ families but declined to comment.

The union said in a statement that its immediate concern is “focused on affected workers, their families, emergency responders, and everyone impacted by this tragedy.”

White liquor, which is used in the paper-making process, contains sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate, Cowlitz County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said.

The company’s website says that Nippon Dynawave Packaging is a subsidiary of Nippon Paper Group and that its Longview facility has been making liquid packaging board since 1953.

The board is used for milk cartons and food containers, among other things.

The company said on its site that it also provides “high quality market pulp” used in pet pads, toilet paper and tissues, printer papers, wrapping paper and more.