Injured firefighters recovering at home; Chemical fire being assessed by DEQ
A huge plume of fire rolls into the sky above the 55,000-gallon chemical storage tank at AmeriTies on Thursday night, March 9. The tank contained copper naphthenate, which is a copper-based, oil-borne wood preservative. It is a replacement for creosote in railroad ties and as a replacement for pentachlorophenol in utility poles, according to Nisus Corp. Photo by Jim Wilson
By Tom Peterson
Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer
The two firefighters injured in an explosion at AmeriTies in east The Dalles were treated and released in good condition for scrapes and abrasions at Mid-Columbia Medical Center on Thursday, March, 9, said Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue Chief Bob Palmer.
Palmer said the two were resting at home this morning, and he and his team touched base with them.
“They’re recovering and shaken up, but there were no significant lasting effects from the situation,” he said.
“Fortunately they were wearing full safety equipment with self-contained breathing apparatus,” he said. “That’s what protected them from being injured far more severely.”
The training paid off, he said, noting the chemical fire was a “low frequency, high risk.” Meaning they did not happen often, but are extremely dangerous when they do.
The firefighters were injured when a storage tank containing mostly diesel fuel sludge and copper naphthenate caught fire and exploded on Thursday around 8:30 p.m.
The tank had about 4,000 gallons of diesel sludge in it, and after it caught fire it began venting through a manhole in the roof of the tank.
The vent was not big enough.
The volatile copper naphthenate also in the mix exploded, bending back the top of the metal tank several feet. The explosion sent a shockwave through the area and a giant ball of fire into the air.
That shock wave led to the injuries, Palmer said.
Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue used their ladder truck to blast water down on nearby storage tanks to keep them from igniting. Two firefighters were injured during an explosion. Photo by Jim Wilson
Firefighters from The Dalles and Dallesport fell back to a defensive mode, watering down surrounding chemical tanks so they would not catch fire. A 3,000-gallon tank of the same mix of diesel and chemicals was located next to the 55,000-gallon tank that was ablaze.
Firefighters continued to blast water from the top of a ladder truck on nearby tanks until about 2 a.m. when the fire had died down to a smolder. A smaller contingent of firefighters stayed on site through the night to ensure the blaze did not remerge.
Firefighters with Hood River and Klickitat County provided stand-by assistance and The Dalles Police used a drone to fly over and assess the situation.
A group gathered around the burning tank looking at the damage this morning at AmeriTies this morning, March 10 at at 8:30 a.m.
DEQ On DECK/ Harm to Public?
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has been on the scene of the fire since this morning, said DEQ sposkesperson Greg Svelund at 11 a.m.
Health Hazard
Copper naphthenate vapor in its original form causes mild irritation of the eyes and mild irritation of the respiratory tract if inhaled. Ingestion causes irritation of the stomach, according to Cameo chemicals. Aspiration causes severe lung irritation and rapidly developing pulmonary edema; central nervous system excitement is followed by depression. (USCG, 1999).
“It’s best to avoid the smoke,” Svelund said, noting the tank may smoulder for several more days. “At same time, I don't want to give people the sense that there is more happening there than there is. There is a small amount of volatile organic compounds. They ignite hot and burn off right there. No reason at this time to think there is any ambient concern, but to be sure, we are bringing in the monitors.”
Environmental Protection Agency is bringing in monitors to assess the particulate matter off-drafting from the tank..
“There were no spills, no water impacts. We’ll make sure that is the case - no impacts to the Columbia River, Svelund added. “Mostly our concern is getting it to stop smoldering and monitor the air quality.”
“It looks like it was 99 percent diesel,” he said. “One percent was copper naphthenate, but that appears to be what was burned and partially exploded.”
Copper naphthenate is a copper-based, oil-borne wood preservative. It is a replacement for creosote in railroad ties and as a replacement for pentachlorophenol in utility poles, according to Nisus Corp.
Statement from AmerTies:
Management at the AmeriTies West treatment plant in The Dalles are assessing the damage from a fire that occurred at its plant at 100 Tie Plant Road in The Dalles.
No workers were harmed.
“We are grateful for the quick response from our local fire and emergency crews and are hopeful that the firefighters who were injured will recover quickly and resume the important work they do protecting our community,” said Jeff Thompson, President of AmeriTies West, LLC.
AmeriTies West LLC began operations in February 2005, after purchasing the plant formerly owned by Kerr McGee, which had operated at The Dalles since 1922. The plant supplies treated wood products – railroad cross ties, switch ties and bridge timbers – that are critical to the safe and efficient operation of the nation’s rail transportation networks. It also treats wood utility poles.
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The Dalles plant has an experienced workforce of approximately 40 employees. It was the first industrial facility in the state to be awarded OSHA STAR status by Oregon OSHA (Occupation Health & Safety Administration) in 1996 and continues to follow rigorous safety protocols.
The plant is currently transitioning its treatment operations exclusively to copper naphthenate which is used to render wood more resistant to weather and insects. The tank had been taken out of service earlier in the day and the copper naphthenate safely drained.
Workers on the ground are assessing the cause of the fire. AmeriTies does not yet know the extent of the damage.
