LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — From his living room window, Washington state Sen. Jeff Wilson can see the paper mill where a chemical tank ruptured this week in Longview, killing 11 people. He used to perform work there as the owner of an environmental cleanup company, and when he heard the sirens go past, he called his son, who works on the larger industrial site, to make sure he was safe.
"I personally have been inside that tank and near that tank many times," said Wilson, who has lived in Longview for 56 years. "I can assure you that we all know somebody there. … The casualties are our friends and neighbors."
The tank, which contained more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of a mixture used to break down wood for making paper, collapsed Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. The rupture expelled a flood of caustic chemicals powerful enough to overturn pickup trucks and damage buildings at the site.
