Washington state crews find body of another victim in paper mill explosion | Washington state

On Friday, crews recovered the remains of another victim of a massive chemical tank explosion at a paper mill in Washington state; The death toll has risen to nine people, and the identities of two workers remain unknown.

The 11 workers presumed killed in the disaster included two brothers who worked there together, a quiz champion and an electrician who was to help their farmer neighbors cut hay.

A tank containing more than 500,000 gallons of a mixture used to split wood to make paper collapsed Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, a city along the Columbia River.

The collapse released caustic chemicals powerful enough to overturn pickup trucks and damage buildings in the area. The liquid, called white liquor, causes serious burns on contact and lung damage if the vapors are inhaled.

Longview fire battalion chief Matt Amos said the rescue of the victims was slow and methodical, complicated by dangers posed by remaining chemicals and other industrial hazards.

Six bodies were found on Thursday.

The crew moves away from the area closest to the tank and works with engineers to determine which nearby damaged buildings are safe to enter.

As teams collect the remains, they must decontaminate them before turning them over to the coroner’s office for identification. Searchers also need to disinfect themselves.

The tragedy is one of the deadliest workplace accidents in the United States in recent years and the cause is being investigated.

Authorities did not release the names of those killed, but friends and relatives began verifying their names and posting online fundraisers to support their families.

Among those presumed dead were brothers Tyler and Brad Covington, who worked together at the factory. An online effort to support Tyler Covington’s family noted that he “leaves behind his wife and three beautiful children who are now trying to navigate a future without the man who was his greatest source of love and support, his protector, and his greatest source of love and support.”

Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather who worked as an electrician at the factory, was the first confirmed death, said his friend Todd Cornwell.

“He was one of the most genuinely nice people you’ve ever met. He would give you his shirt if you needed it,” Cornwell said.

John Forsberg, who died in the collapse, was witty, kind and “wickedly smart,” said his friend Kole Musgrove, who hosted a trivia night at Ashtown Brewing in Longview, where Forsberg competed regularly.

To honor him, the brewery is renaming the trivia trophy the Forsberg Cup.

“It seemed like there were no facts that he knew,” Musgrove said. “He was also a great athlete; he was always the first to cheer when another team won.”

A GoFundMe post asked for donations for Forsberg’s two children.

CJ Doran, 26, was “the spiritual leader of their family, the joy of their home, and their breadwinner,” 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, a factory electrician who hosted exchange students and others in need with his longtime partner Kaitlyn Kincaid, according to their friend Rex Czuba.

Finkas moved to Cathlamet about four years ago to build a home and start a farm, Czuba said. He said he was always willing to help other farmers cut hay, load equipment or buy beer for a new face in their small town.

“He really jumped in and became a part of the community very quickly,” Czuba said.

The tank malfunction also injured eight people, including a firefighter. Some suffered burns or respiratory injuries, officials said.

The mill’s Japanese parent company, Nippon Paper Group, said in an updated statement Friday that it offered its “sincerest condolences to the grieving families.”