New details about victim of flash fire at MeadWestvaco

EVADALE -- The victim of a flash fire at MeadWestvaco received burns to 90 percent of his body, according to information provided by his family.

Relatives identified the man injured in Tuesday's accident as Otis Deon Collier, 41, of Kirbyville.

Collier's sister, Monica Williams, said he was operating a Bobcat at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday at the plant nearby where chemicals are unloaded and went through a dip and struck the pavement, which caused a spark that ignited a chemical in the air.

Collier, who has worked for MeadWestvaco for 16 years, is undergoing treatment at Memorial Hermann Baptist Hospital in Houston.

Williams told KFDM News her brother is on a ventilator and in critical condition.

"We would like to thank everyone for their concern and prayers," Williams said. "We would like to ask everyone to continue to pray for him and the family."          

Penny Sullivan, a MeadWestvaco spokeswoman, told KFDM News she could confirm the victim is Otis Leon Collier, but HIPPA laws prevent her from providing information about his medical condition.

KFDM Tuesday story

JASPER COUNTY -- A worker at the MeadWestvaco plant in Evadale was injured in a flash fire and flown to a Houston hospital for treatment, according to a company spokeswoman.

Penny Sullivan, communications manager for MeadWestvaco, told KFDM News the worker was hurt at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday during the fire in the chemical unloading area of the Jasper County plant. A flash fire is a sudden, fast moving flame caused by ignition of flammable chemicals.

The cause of the fire, which lasted less than five seconds, is under investigation. The extent of the worker's injury was unknown, but paramedics in a medical helicopter flew the employee to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

Sullivan is withholding the worker's name until relatives are notified, she said, and the company is trying to learn how bad the employee was burned.

The MeadWestvaco plant, which has about 840 employees, opened in 1954.

The mill produces paperboard that is used in juice boxes, plates and other consumer packaging. MeadWestvaco is the largest employer in Jasper County.

"We have an excellent safety record at the mill," Sullivan said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family."

Stay with KFDM News for the latest on the story.