‘It tore my heart out’: Jake and Spike mourn the lives lost in Longview plant disaster

Following the tragic disaster at a Longview packaging plant Tuesday, eight people have died, and at least eight others, including one firefighter, are injured.

So far, two employees have been identified, while three individuals remain unaccounted for.

GoFundMe pages were created in honor of one of the men who died, Gilbert Bernal, and another who remains missing, Jared Ammons, as the city has banded together to support the families through this painful time.

Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill, co-hosts of “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, reflected on the devastating loss for the Longview community, which will leave a lasting impact on all the lives in the area.

“This is close to home. These are our neighbors, and I just wanted to highlight these two guys, because I saw these pictures, and it tore my heart out as I was reading,” Jake said. “The picture of Gilbert Bernal on his GoFundMe, that picture just looks perfect. It’s like what everybody strives for their entire life to get to. A moment of peace. You want that moment to last forever, and he’s gone now. He died in this tragedy, which is horrible. For his family, that’s just a tremendous loss.

“I was in the studio preparing for this, saying prayers for these people. I’ve never met them, yet you might pass these folks on the road or in the store,” he continued. “It’s such a small community. Washington’s not a big state. We’ve interacted with these people at some point in life.”

‘A working man’: Honoring Jared Ammons, the father of two still missing

Jake spoke about Ammons, who he believed was truly happy as he looked through the photos provided by his family. As Jake viewed the photos of Ammons and his family, he found similarities with his own wife and kids, and believed both men had their hearts in the right place.

“The other man on the GoFundMe, Jared Ammons, is confirmed missing,” Jake said. “There’s a really great picture of him holding up a couple of salmon; he looks like a real happy guy.”

“A working man,” Spike added.

“If it’s confirmed that he’s no longer alive, he leaves behind a wife, two kids, and one on the way,” Jake said. “As I was reading these, I was thinking, I’m in this phase of life right now where we all put these stories into the context of our own lives. I have this crazy busy life with my kids, and we all experience that. How lucky we are to get to experience the craziness because it means we’re still here.

“These people were taken too soon. Prayers to these families,” Jake continued. “The other thing that these two pictures highlighted, a picture says 1,000 words, and based on the descriptions of them and their families on GoFundMe, all I needed were those two pictures of Jared and Gilbert to know, these guys had their priorities in the right place. It’s really easy in life to lose track of what’s important. Just a tremendous loss, and our hearts go out to these folks.”

If you’d like to donate to the families of Gilbert Bernal and Jared Ammons, you can do so by clicking the links previously provided. The two have collectively raised more than $50,000 in support.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.