Jay County Commissioners approved agreements for new radio equipment for Pennville and Dunkirk fire departments.

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Harford County is constructing a 16,200-square-foot Emergency Services Special Operations facility in Hickory.

The post Harford (MD) Starts Construction on Emergency Services Hub in Hickory appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

Flint, MI, is renovating two fire station kitchens due to mold and asbestos issues, with City Council approving $163,964 for the work expected to start after July 1.

The post Flint (MI) Remodeling Fire Station Kitchens With Mold, Asbestos Issues appeared first on Fire Apparatus: Fire trucks, fire engines, emergency vehicles, and firefighting equipment.

PHOTOS: Multiple people were injured and at least one person was killed after a major chemical explosion Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave plant in Longview, an incident authorities described as a complex and hazardous industrial accident.

The one person confirmed dead was identified by his family as Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather whose son also worked at the mill.

Crews with the Longview Fire Department responded to the facility at 7:18 a.m. after a tank containing white liquor ruptured, according to Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue Fire Chief Scott Goldstein.

Officials said there was no direct threat to the surrounding community, but residents were urged to avoid Industrial Way and nearby areas while emergency crews continue response and recovery operations. Nippon Dynawave is a Kraft pulp and paper mill and liquid packaging plant.

White liquor, the chemical involved in the incident, is a highly corrosive alkaline solution primarily made of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. It is used in the Kraft papermaking process to break down wood chips into pulp.

During a 7 p.m. press conference, Battalion Chief Matt Amos with the Longview Fire Department confirmed multiple critical injuries and fatalities.

Officials said 10 people were transported to area hospitals, including eight plant employees and one firefighter. Authorities confirmed one death.

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

The post VIDEOS: Multiple injuries, 1 dead, 9 missing after chemical implosion at Washington paper mill appeared first on Daily Dispatch.

VIDEO: One person is confirmed dead, nine people are missing, and nine more are injured after a vat containing hundreds of thousands of gallons of dangerous chemicals failed at the Nippon Dynawave packaging plant in Longview on Tuesday morning. At approximately 7:18 a.m. Tuesday, the Longview Fire Department (LFD) responded to a hazardous material incident at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company.

According to fire officials, a tank containing a highly acidic chemical called white liquor ruptured. Images from the aftermath show flipped cars and a crushed vat. LFD Battalion Chief Mike Gorsuch described the scene as a “mass casualty scene,” according to The Associated Press. As of 5:30 p.m., one person was pronounced dead. At least ten people were taken to nearby hospitals, including eight employees and one firefighter, LFD said.

Nine employees remained unaccounted for, according to Longview Fire. Officials state that crews are on a recovery mission for those nine employees, rather than a rescue. “There is no belief that rescues still need to be made,” said Chief Scott Goldstein of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue. Officials confirmed there is no immediate threat to the public, but they asked everyone to stay clear of the area for the time being.

“Recovery efforts remain complex due to ongoing safety concerns at the site. While originally believed to contain approximately 80,000 gallons, officials now report the tank held approximately 900,000 gallons of white liquor. Longview Fire and Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue estimate roughly 90,000 gallons of material may remain inside the damaged tank,” Longview Fire posted to social media.

KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

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