One dead, nine missing after chemical tank implosion at Washington paper mill
One person is dead and nine remain missing after a chemical tank imploded at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co paper mill in Longview, Washington, on Tuesday. The tank held about 900,000 gallons of a caustic liquid called white liquor, and nine others were injured, including eight employees and one firefighter. Recovery efforts are paused until the unstable tank can be reinforced, with crews working only during daylight due to safety hazards.
One person is confirmed dead and nine workers remain missing after a chemical tank imploded Tuesday at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co paper mill in Longview, Washington, authorities said. Nine others were injured — eight employees and one firefighter — with injuries ranging from critical severe to minor, including burn and inhalation injuries.
The tank held approximately 900,000 gallons (3.4 million liters) of white liquor, a caustic chemical mixture of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide used in kraft paper production. About 90,000 gallons (340,000 liters) may remain inside the damaged tank, which remains unstable, creating hazardous conditions for emergency personnel. Recovery operations are limited to daylight hours due to the dangers.
"We don't know until we know, hopefully tomorrow, how we can stabilize the tank. Do we remove the product first? Do we stabilize the tank first or the vice versa?" said Scott Goldstein, fire chief with Cowlitz County.
No threat to the broader community has been identified, and no evacuation order was issued. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said state ecology workers have been sent to assist local officials.
Nippon Dynawave is a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Paper Group. Safety complaints filed against the company in March and May were unrelated to the implosion, according to the state's labor and industries department. Nippon Dynawave has been fined $3,400 for three separate health and safety violations since 2021, per the department's online database.
The incident follows a chemical tank failure in southern California that prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents, though officials said the two events are unrelated.