‘It’s heartbreaking. Just makes you want to cry’: At a Longview diner, a community grieves after mill disaster

At the Pancake House, a diner about two miles from the scene of Tuesday’s disaster in Longview, the proximity was reflected in the lunchtime conversation.

Two people are confirmed dead after a tank at a packaging plant containing white liquor ruptured. At least eight others, including one firefighter, are injured, while nine individuals remain unaccounted for.

“That’s all everyone’s talking about right now. It’s uppermost in our minds,” one diner said.

“One of my co-workers, his dad’s missing,” another diner told KIRO Newsradio. “He was a very nice man.”

The disaster also casts a shadow on the safety of the paper industry, so central to Longview’s identity.

“It’s been safe so far, and then this happens,” one resident said. “I don’t know where it’s going to go from here.”

Regarding environmental concerns, Pancake House diners believe what they’re hearing — that the air and drinking water are safe.

“They’ve been saying everything’s okay, so we’re trusting them,” one diner said.

‘We have family and friends that are missing’: Longview grapples with disaster

What remains is hope for a quick return to normal.

“Thoughts and prayers to the family, and I hope they find peace, and those who are injured, they get home safely and recover quickly,” another diner said.

Two days after the fatal accident, many people remain reluctant to talk about it.

“It’s heartbreaking. Just makes you want to cry,” Jeannie from nearby Kalama said.

Pearl, like many who live in Longview, said she feels a personal connection.

“We have family and friends that are missing,” she said.

Pearl noted others had near misses.

“One was off that day, should have been at work, he wasn’t,” she said. “You just hear these stories.”

Amid the sadness, there is also, in some cases, real detachment. Some who declined to speak said it was because they had not heard about the disaster and just wanted to get some lunch.