Crews still trying to recover body in Pierce County grain silo collapse

Crews were still working Wednesday night to stabilize a collapsed grain silo at a Pierce County feed mill where a worker is believed buried under tons of corn.

Rescuers haven’t been able to recover the body at the Wilcox Family Farm in Roy because they haven’t been able to stabilize two other silos that were damaged in the Monday afternoon accident, South Pierce Fire & Rescue Chief Bob Vellias said.

“Our fear is that when we eradicate the corn and grain away from the silo, it will compromise the damaged silos and create another issue,” Vellias said. “It’s going to collapse on the area we’re trying to work on.”

Vacuum trucks began removing several tons of corn Wednesday, two days after the collapse.

In its most recent safety inspection, the Wilcox Family Farms facility in Roy was cited for six “serious” safety violations, according to records provided by the Department of Labor and Industries. The company was assessed a $10,000 penalty after that June review.

Wilcox Family Farms supplies eggs throughout the Northwest.

Inspectors cited the company for not having adequate rescue and emergency services available around a “containment pit” and a corn tank. The state wrote in documents that employees who entered confined spaces were at risk of serious injury or death if adequate emergency services were not available to safely remove them from the space.

Another serious violation said the company failed to fully inform employees of the hazardous conditions and required duties when working in the containment pit and corn tank.

Elaine Fischer, a spokeswoman for the Department of Labor and Industries, said it wasn’t clear whether parts of the facility cited in the inspection were at issue in the collapse. She said inspectors have been gathering information about the collapse.

The company did not return calls seeking comment from The Associated Press. The Wilcox family is well-known in the community, Vellias said.

“I can’t say enough about the family,” he said. “They’ve been a great supporter of us.”

Stabilization work at the mill in Roy, about 50 miles south of Seattle, is expected to resume Wednesday.

When the scene is safe, rescuers plan to bring in a large vacuum truck used to clean storm drains to remove the grain, Vellias said.

Rescuers have trained with the equipment to move dirt, the fire chief said.

“We’ll create a snorkel into the area and vac the corn away, like sand,” Vellias said.

The missing man was in his 50s and worked for Wilcox Family Farms. His name was not released, and investigators won’t know exactly how he died until his body is recovered.

The silo was about 75 feet tall and 25 feet across. It was in the middle of a dozen silos of varying sizes. The two damaged silos are 40 to 50 feet tall and about 16 feet across said. One silo leaning against the office holds flax, he said

The mill mixes corn, wheat and other grains into chicken feed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report