LONGVIEW, Washington (From news reports) -- The first victim in the Washington state paper mill explosion has been identified.

Gilbert Bernal was killed when the 900,000-gallon vat of a chemical mixture called "white liquor" imploded, his family said.

Bernal is one of several people injured, missing, or killed after the implosion.

A family friend who set up a GoFundMe called Bernal "one of the best people I have ever met."

"He was a Godly man in every sense of the word," the website reads. "All the funds raised will be used for funeral expenses and other needs for the family."

9 other people are still missing after multiple others, including a firefighter, needed to be treated at a hospital for their injuries.

The implosion took place in Longview, about 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company.

Officials said a 900,000-gallon vat that was about 60% full caused the devastation around 7:18 a.m. Tuesday, inflicting chemical burns and other critical injuries on several people. Officials later said the vat contained "white liquor," a chemical combination of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide, and disodium carbonate.

Nippon Dynawave Packaging Facility is a paper mill with 550 employees that makes "around 280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard, and wetlap and slush pulp" each year, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology.

The company says its products "are converted into 8 billion single-serve containers per year."

The implosion prompted a response from five fire engines, seven ambulances, and the hazmat team. Residents were previously told to stay away from the site of the implosion.

A multi-day fire broke out at the same paper mill in 2023.