Safety concerns were shared before Longview papermill implosion

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-31

[00:00:00]Questions are being raised about safety conditions in that plant where the deadly explosion happened this week.

[00:00:05]>> King Five has heard from families of victims and former employees who called the conditions inside dangerous.

[00:00:11]Savannah Welch joins us here in the studio with the safety concerns being raised by at least one family. Savannah, >> that's right, Mimi. The attorney for one of the victim's family says that he raised concerns about conditions inside the mill way before the deadly implosion happened on Tuesday. Jared Ammons was a husband, father, and an employee at the Long View Paper Mill. His family says he and his wife were expecting their first child together. In fact, they say Ammons went into work early the day of the implosion so he could leave in time for their first ultrasound appointment, but he never made it home. The attorney says many people now are calling for answers here.

[00:00:47]There are a lot of people that are willing to come forward and talk about things that have been a problem at that facility for years and um and they're all saying it was preventable. Right now, we are just monitoring the investigation to make sure that it it's done with complete transparency. King Five investigators also found the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries cited Nepon Dino Wave four times for safety violations between 2019 and 2025.

[00:01:23]Those state violations included claims the company failed to protect workers from falls, didn't require face masks during the pandemic, and a separate incident where an employee lost a finger. Now, officials told King Five none of those previous cases involved the tank that imploded on Tuesday. here.

[00:01:38]>> You've been there all week working on this story, talking to people who don't want to go on camera because of all the grieving process going on. I'm just curious, what are you hearing from them?

[00:01:46]This plant is such an integral part of the community. Are they are they feeling that this was going to happen?

[00:01:52]>> I don't think Yeah, I don't think anyone expected this to happen, but obviously this was a very tight-knit community.

[00:01:57]Everyone there is really close and so everyone knows someone who's impacted by this. So, I think it was obviously like a shock to everybody that it happened.

[00:02:04]And I mean those are dangerous working conditions. So maybe it's not a complete surprise and that things like this can happen. But at the same time you I talked to someone at a gas station and she said she was worried who she would see coming in dayto day because she wasn't sure who was lost, who they were still looking for. And that was day one like the next day after the tank imploded. So very difficult situation, but there is a sense of resilience which is great in the Long View community.

[00:02:28]They're really tight-knit and it's just wonderful to hear those those stories in the midst of all this and just how everyone's really come together in this moment.

[00:02:35]>> You can tell when we talk to people out there that there is a you know Long View strong sort of mentality for sure.

[00:02:41]>> Yes, it's good to see during this briefing process. Thank you so much Savannah. Our team coverage in Long View continues throughout the day on air and streaming. We're expecting another update from authorities on scene and the Department of Ecology at 3:30 today. You can stream live updates on the King Five app.