nine workers – A tank holding about 900,000 gallons of caustic chemicals ruptured at Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company in Longview, Washington, killing at least one person and injuring eight employees and one firefighter. Authorities suspended recovery work overnight due to
The moment the tank ruptured in Longview, Washington, it turned a workday into a waiting game for families—one that lasted through the night and, now, into the morning of May 27.
Authorities responded to the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Company around 7:18 a.m. local time on May 26 after a tank containing about 900,000 gallons of chemicals failed. Longview Fire Department officials confirmed at least one person died. By late afternoon on May 26, nine employees were unaccounted for.
Longview Fire Department reported eight employees were injured and one firefighter was injured. Authorities said the situation at the facility remained unstable that evening, and recovery work was suspended until May 27.
“This is an amazing community of hardworking people and a tragedy like this affects absolutely everybody,” Washington Sen. Patty Murray said.
The search is expected to restart on May 27. but officials say it will depend on stabilizing what’s left inside the failed tank. Authorities said they hoped to develop a plan to stabilize roughly 90. 000 gallons of chemical remaining in the tank so they can proceed with the search for additional victims.
“Recovery and stabilization efforts remain extremely complex due to the ongoing hazards,” said Scott Goldstein, chief of Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue.
Goldstein said crews are assessing the structural integrity of the tank containing the chemical white liquor. He said the tank remained unstable the evening of May 26, and there were concerns it could collapse while crews are searching for victims.
Some areas of the plant were also inaccessible, Matt Amos, battalion chief of the Longview Fire Department, said.
The recovery teams plan to stabilize the tank, remove the remaining liquid, and then access the people still unaccounted for, officials said.
PeaceHealth medical center in Longview said it received nine patients from the incident, including the deceased person. Center spokesperson Jim Murez said on May 26 that six patients were in “fair condition.” Two patients were transferred to other facilities.
The Longview Fire Department said earlier in the day that some of the injured suffered chemical burns. The injured firefighter was treated and released. Officials said all impacted families have been notified, but none of the injured or deceased victims have been identified.
Community members gathered for a candlelight vigil on the evening of May 26, some seen holding pictures of loved ones involved.
What remains a central question for investigators is the chemistry inside the failed tank and how a pulp-and-paper operation’s core materials can turn dangerous in seconds. The Washington Department of Ecology said the facility is a pulp and paper mill and a liquid packaging plant.
Ecology reported the pulp and paper mill employs about 550 people and produces 280,000 tons of bleached liquid packaging paperboard and wetlap and slush pulp each year. The liquid packaging plant employs about 450 people.
A 2023 news release cited by the Ecology Department says the facility produces bleached paperboard used to make cartons and cups for products including milk, juice, coffee and sake. White liquor—the chemical in the tank that exploded—is part of the paper-making process, officials said.
White liquor consists of sodium hydroxide, sodium sulfide and disodium carbonate. Officials said it is caustic.
While authorities work to stabilize the remaining chemical and reach missing employees, an Ecology spills team has evaluated the site for potential impacts from the explosion, Ecology Department spokesperson Brittny Goodsell said.
Nippon Dynawave did not respond to a request for comment when reached for this report.
The sequence of events is stark: the tank ruptured at 7:18 a.m. on May 26; at least one person was confirmed dead by the Longview Fire Department; nine employees were still missing by late afternoon; and officials suspended recovery work overnight because the tank and the plant’s access conditions were not safe enough. On May 27. crews will only be able to move forward after stabilization and removal of roughly 90. 000 gallons of the remaining liquid.
Authorities said there was no immediate threat to the surrounding area, and updates are expected the morning of May 27.
Longview Washington chemical explosion Nippon Dynawave white liquor caustic chemicals missing workers Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue Longview Fire Department PeaceHealth medical center Washington Department of Ecology