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Chemical reaction sparks fire at Inland Empire Paper in Millwood

Firefighters arrive at Inland Paper Company as reports of a fire and hazardous material was ongoing early afternoon Wednesday at the plant in Millwood. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Firefighters arrive at Inland Paper Company as reports of a fire and hazardous material was ongoing early afternoon Wednesday at the plant in Millwood. (COLIN MULVANY/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)Buy a print of this photo
By Emma Epperly and Garrett Cabeza The Spokesman-Review

Dozens of firefighters from multiple agencies responded to a chemical fire at Inland Empire Paper Co. Wednesday afternoon.

A bleaching agent leaked out of an overpressurized container at the mill, at 3320 N. Argonne Road in Millwood, and came in contact with another chemical, sparking the fire, Spokane Valley Fire Department Capt. Scott Crawford said.

“I’m not sure what the second chemical was, but it did not like the first chemical, so the second they combined, it started the fire,” he said.

Crawford said crews were called to the scene at 1:05 p.m. for the hazmat investigation and the call was upgraded to a second-alarm fire. Crawford said firefighters could not put out the fire with water because of the nature of the second chemical. Foam was possibly used to extinguish the flames, he said.

“It’s not an inexhaustible supply of this chemical, and they’re literally waiting for it to burn down while they protect the area around it,” Crawford said.

The fire was out by mid-afternoon and no injuries were reported. Employees at the paper mill were evacuated.

Employees, firefighters and others in the “hot zone” were decontaminated, meaning they got rinsed off and possibly changed clothes because of the smoke exposure from the chemicals. Firefighters were expected to get an “extensive” decontamination, Crawford said.

“Everything we’re doing is safety first,” Crawford said. “It’s safety for our firefighters. It’s safety for all of the employees and making sure that every step we take isn’t a step that we regret later.”

Crawford said he believed the chemicals were contained at the mill but advised the public to stay out of the area. No surrounding businesses were evacuated.

Spokane County fire districts 8 and 9 as well as the Spokane Fire Department also responded. Some crews remained on scene Wednesday evening.

Attempts made to reach the paper company were unsuccessful Wednesday afternoon. Inland Empire Paper is a subsidiary of the Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.