Evergreen Packaging Paper Mill - Fire During Hot Work

On September 21, 2020, a paper mill operated by Evergreen Packaging (Evergreen) in Canton, North Carolina, was undergoing a planned shutdown, and associated maintenance and capital project work was ongoing throughout the facility. In one of Evergreen’s pulp bleaching units, two contract companies (Universal Blastco, or “Blastco,” and Rimcor) were performing simultaneous maintenance work inside two connected process vessels, called an “upflow tower” and a “downflow tower.” The pulp bleaching process is corrosive by design, and the upflow and downflow towers were constructed of corrosion-resistant materials. However, due to the corrosive nature of the process, the upflow and downflow towers required periodic maintenance to their inside surfaces. The upflow tower was constructed of fiberreinforced plastic (FRP), and Blastco’s repair work in the upflow tower required the application of flammable epoxy vinyl ester resin and sheets of fiberglass to the inside walls of the vessel. However, cool ambient temperatures in the area on the night of the incident caused the resin to harden slower than the Blastco workers anticipated, resulting in the newly applied resin and fiberglass sliding down the walls of the vessel. The Blastco workers attempted several means of addressing the issue but were ultimately unsuccessful. Two Blastco workers resorted to using a portable, electric heat gun to warm the resin, enabling it to harden faster. The Blastco crew did not warn of or otherwise communicate to Evergreen or Rimcor its use of the heat gun, which was an ignition source in the presence of the flammable resin. At approximately 5:15 a.m., a fire started inside the upflow tower when the heat gun fell into a five-gallon bucket containing flammable resin. The Blastco workers inside the upflow tower successfully escaped the fire and evacuated the vessel. However, smoke and flames quickly spread to the connected downflow tower, fatally injuring two Rimcor workers there [Brett Burgueno, Curtis Butler]. The Canton Fire Department and mutual aid from surrounding areas responded to the incident. In addition to the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB), the North Carolina Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHNC) investigated the incident.