The first victim in the Washington state paper mill explosion has been identified.
Gilbert Bernal was killed when the 900,000-gallon vat of a chemical mixture called “white liquor” imploded, his family told ABC News.
Bernal is one of several people injured, missing, or killed after the implosion.
Gilbert Bernal was killed when the 900,000-gallon vat of a chemical mixture called “white liquor” imploded, his family told ABC News. REUTERSA family friend who set up a GoFundMe called Bernal “one of the best people I have ever met.”
“He was a Godly man in every sense of the word,” the website reads. “All the funds raised will be used for funeral expenses and other needs for the family.”
A family friend who set up a GoFundMe called Bernal “one of the best people I have ever met.” GoFundMe
“He was a Godly man in every sense of the word,” the website reads. “All the funds raised will be used for funeral expenses and other needs for the family.” GoFundMe9 other people are still missing after multiple others, including a firefighter, needed to be treated at a hospital for their injuries.
The implosion took place in Longview, about 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company.
Officials said a 900,000-gallon vat that was about 60% full caused the devastation around 7:18 a.m. Tuesday, inflicting chemical burns and other critical injuries on several people. Officials later said the vat contained “white liquor,” a chemical combination of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, and disodium carbonate.
Nippon Dynawave Packaging Facility is a paper mill with 550 employees that makes “around 280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard, and wetlap and slush pulp” each year, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology. Getty Images
The implosion took place in Longview, about 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company. Cowlitz County NewsNippon Dynawave Packaging Facility is a paper mill with 550 employees that makes “around 280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard, and wetlap and slush pulp” each year, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The company says its products “are converted into 8 billion single-serve containers per year.”
The implosion prompted a response from five fire engines, seven ambulances, and the hazmat team. Residents were previously told to stay away from the site of the implosion.
A multi-day fire broke out at the same paper mill in 2023, according to KCBY.
The first victim of the chemical implosion has been revealed as a chemical tank scandal winds down in Orange County. Thousands of residents were evacuated for a chemical tank uncontrollably heating up and on pace to explode. Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Donald Trump declared emergency measures for the situation, and first responders grappled with how to keep the tank in check.
But on Tuesday, residents returned to their homes, and the cause of the overheating was revealed.
A failed cooling system may have triggered the dangerous chemical leak at a Garden Grove aerospace facility that led officials to evacuate roughly 50,000 residents over an explosion threat, officials said.
A pressurized tank filled with methyl methacrylate is sprayed with water at GKN Aerospace in Garden Grove. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Orange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern said that a pressurized storage tank holding 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable liquid used in plastic manufacturing, began heating up after the cooling mechanism stopped working for reasons that have yet to be determined. Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via APOrange County Fire Authority Chief TJ McGovern said that a pressurized storage tank holding 7,000 gallons of methyl methacrylate, a highly flammable liquid used in plastic manufacturing, began heating up after the cooling mechanism stopped working for reasons that have yet to be determined.
“We don’t know why, but it stopped cooling,” McGovern told The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday.
“So that’s what started this event, to where the product heated up… and that’s how this whole response started. We’re just now being able to get to the tanks, so there’s definitely more to come of what caused it.”
After further inspections over Memorial Day weekend, crews discovered the tank had developed a crack that lowered internal pressure, easing fears of a massive explosion.
“Yesterday we really turned a corner,” McGovern said.
GKN Aerospace has been identified as the company behind the significant chemical discharge.
UK-based GKN Aerospace issued a statement apologizing for the prolonged chemical leak in Garden Grove, as officials told some residents in the area that they can finally return home after 40,000 were evacuated.
“We are acutely aware of the uncertainty this incident is causing and sincerely apologise for the ongoing disruption to the local community,” they said.
“We are working closely with the Orange County Fire Authority, the EPA, OSHA, and all relevant federal, state, and local agencies, and remain deeply grateful for the dedication and expertise of all emergency services and agencies involved,” they added.
Orange County Rep. Derek Tran has called for a “deep investigation” into the company, and several law firms have said they will seek class-action suits to compensate victims.
GKN describes itself as a “global technology leader in the aerospace industry, with advanced aerostructures and engine systems on board 100,000 flights a day.”
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